All That Jazz
by Panja Mysy
Summary: Petra's dream is to own her own jazz club someday so she is overjoyed when she lands a job at "The Inner Wall" the swankiest club in her city. The job is perfect and her co workers are wonderful...with one exception: a pompous ass of a waiter named Auruo Bossard. AU, obviously! Will be rated M for future chapters! Petra/Auruo pairing.
1. Chapter 1

**I've been wanting to write an AU Petruo fic but I had been having such a difficult time thinking of a good setting for it to take place...but I have finally found it!**

 **So...I was standing in my kitchen making breakfast and thinking about how perfect Petruo is and listening to Michael Buble...and I started to think about a wonderful fic called "The Sunlight Girl" (Seriously, if you haven't read it, go do it NOOOOOWWWWW because it's perfection!) and remembered it being stated in that story that Auruo has a beautiful singing voice and I thought "Probably a lot like Michael Buble, smooth and clear, not too high, not too low..." AND THEN THIS HAPPENED!**

 **Jazz Club AU! I will be adding song suggestions to give a listen to for the times when a song is mentioned in the story!**

 **Dislcaimer: I do not own any of these wonderful characters within, sadly. This is purely written for fun! All characters belong to Isayama Hajime, although he totally wasted their potential...**

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Petra Ral took a deep, steadying breath as she faced the dark tinted glass doors of _The Inner Wall_ , the most posh and exclusive and chic jazz club in the entire city. She was dressed to the nines in her black suit top with the white ruffled top underneath it, pearl earrings adorned her ears and her neckline, her legs were stocking covered under her knee length black pencil skirt, her small feet aching in her black pumps with the heels she found to be a flattering, yet ridiculous height. She'd even gone the extra mile and put on honest to God lipstick for this interview.

Her father had pulled some strings and promised many favors to several businessmen to get her this tiny chance at a job here and she was going to do her absolute best to get the job. It was only a simple hostess job, but if she could work her way up then the pay would be substantial and the work easy...and she needed good pay and job security if she wanted that apartment in the high end of town. The chance to meet some influential people to help her achieve her goals to own her own jazz club someday was also a very good possibility.

Finally, all her nerve gathered into one movement, she strode forward and opened the doors and stepped inside. But, try as she might to appear professional and unaffected, she failed. The inside was something she'd only ever dreamed of! The room was large and open with a high ceiling that reminded her of the roof of one of those outdoor amphitheaters where they held big concerts, rippled for acoustic perfection. The floor was smooth, dark wood that was polished to a perfect shine. The wall on her right were lined with long plum colored leather bench seats while to her left there was a good sized elevated stage that held a white baby grand piano and an old fashioned microphone, plum colored pleated curtains hung down behind the piano. The tables between were round and small with comfy looking leather chairs circled around them, spaced far enough apart to allow for plenty of movement around the club for the servers. At the very back of the room, a long, intricately carved mahogany bar with a vast variety of liquor on the mirrored shelves behind it. The first person she saw in the place was standing behind this bar, a towel in his hands as he closely examined and buffed martini glasses, holding them up to the light to check for any smudges. Not really knowing where else to go yet, Petra approached the bar to ask where the interview would be held.

"Hello, excuse me but is Mr. Ackerman here?" she asked politely when she reached the bar, "My name is Petra Ral and I have an interview for the hostess position."

The young man behind the bar turned and looked at her, a friendly and bright smile on his face as he set his now perfectly sparkling martini glass down. He was a tall and broad man with blonde hair pulled back in a small ponytail, his face was angular and he had a bit of stubble on his strong chin, his blue eyes were bright and friendly and Petra thought he was a very handsome man indeed.

"He's not here yet," he informed her, "You're a bit early."

Petra blushed slightly and nodded.

"My father always told me to be fifteen minutes early to any important meeting," she explained, "Better to be early than late."

"Good point," the blonde laughed and gestured to the bar stool next to her, "Have a seat, he'll be here any minute. You can talk to me if you have any questions before the interview. My name is Eld Jinn, I'm the bartender here."

"Nice to meet you, Eld," Petra offered her hand and he shook it in return. She decided right away that she liked this guy a lot and she hoped all her coworkers would be this nice. "So, what should I expect when I meet Mr. Ackerman?"

Eld chuckled slightly.

"Levi's a character," he said as he picked up another glass to buff, "He comes off as very cold and unfriendly and sharp, but once you work for him for a while, you'll see...he genuinely cares for all his employees. We're like a family here and Levi keeps us all in check and well paid. Don't be intimidated, he's very to the point, just be yourself."

Petra was going to ask another question about what the pay grade was when the sound of the front doors opening caught her attention and she twisted her bar stool around to see the new arrival. I was a rather tall woman in black slacks and a lady's suit vest with a white button up shit underneath and a plum colored tie. The woman caught Petra's eye and she smiled brightly before approaching the bar excitedly.

"You're the girl here for the hostess interview, right?" she asked, adjusting her glasses as she sat down in the bar stool beside Petra, "I'm Hanji Zoe, assistant manager of this fine establishment! What's your name? You're adorable, by the way."

"I'm Petra Ral," Petra smiled, Hanji seemed like a very spirited individual and she liked that, "That's right, I'm here to be interviewed for the hostess position."

"Well, I'll be in there during the interview as well so don't worry about having to face Levi alone," Hanji winked, "I bet Eld already warned you about him, huh?"

Petra nodded and suddenly felt much better about this interview if Hanji would be there too, already there was a connection between the two.

"Ay-yo! What's up, guys? Oh hey, who is this?"

Another individual entered the front room for a door left of the bar, a young man with shaggy black hair and bright green eyes, a winning smile on his face. He wore black slacks and a black suit vest over his white button up shirt, a plum colored bow tie under his chin. Petra soon figured that plum colored neck adornments, suit vests and black slacks were the uniform for the joint, except for Eld who simply wore a white button up with his sleeves rolled to his elbows, no tie or vest present.

"I'm Petra Ral," Petra offered her name and the young man smiled genuinely at her, "I'm interviewing for the hostess position."

"I'm Eren Jeager," Eren leaned against the bar and melted into the group effortlessly, "I'm one of the waiters here so if you get the job, you'll be seeing a lot of me out on the floor."

"I look forward to working with you all if I get the job," Petra felt right at home already among these three, "This would be a dream job for me."

"Definitely not a bad gig," Eren agreed, "Better than my old job, that's for sure. Exterminator."

"I imagine any job is better than that," Petra agreed, shivering at the thought of bugs everywhere.

"Mm, a plumber might disagree with you," Eld commented with a wink.

They all laughed at that and the battle for worst job ever began, each tossing out one job more horrible than the next. Hanji had just offered up "slaughterhouse worker" as her gross job when the front door opened to reveal a short man in a full suit, dark sunglasses covering his eyes. From the way the conversation stopped and everyone greeted the man, Petra knew this was the infamous Levi Ackerman...her possible new boss.

"What's going on in here?" Levi asked in a flat tone, "Don't you need to be getting shit set up, Eren?"

Petra was slightly surprised by the use of the word "shit" but she chose to ignore it and she glanced at Eren who gave her a wink and then grabbed a rag from behind the bar and began to wipe down tables. Levi approached Petra's position and he removed his sunglasses to reveal bored looking blue eyes.

"You're here for the hostess position?" he asked, obviously already knowing the answer. Petra slid from her barstool and stood before him with a smile.

"Yes, sir," she answered, "I'm Petra Ral."

Levi simply jerked his head in a motion for her to follow him and started walking away towards the door Eren had come through, Petra scrambled after him with Hanji at her heels and they emerged into the kitchen area. Levi took a sharp left and opened a door with a golden "Manager" placard in the center to reveal a very simple office that was impeccably clean and organized...it spoke a lot to Petra about the kind of man Levi was, a perfectionist and possibly a bit OCD. Levi sat behind the desk and motioned for her to sit in the seat across from him so she did and Hanji just half sat, half leaned on the edge of the desk.

"So, Miss. Ral, what makes you feel like you're good enough to work here at _The Inner Wall_?"

Eld hadn't lied...Levi was very to the point.

Ten minutes later, Petra stepped out of the office and let out the breath she had been holding, a broad grin spreading over her face.

She had the job.

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"Hey, everyone get your asses over here!" Levi's voice rang out through the club and Petra giggled slightly, partially out of nervousness and partly out of amusement. Employees began to appear from various places and gathered in front of the stage where Petra was standing between Levi and Hanji. "This is our new hostess, Petra Ral. I want you all to go around and introduce yourselves."

"We've met," Eld spoke up and Eren nodded in agreement.

"Congrats, Petra!" the dark haired boy gave her a thumbs up.

A small blond girl raised her hand and smiled brightly.

"I'm Krista Lenz," she announced, "I'm also a hostess."

"Jean Kirschstein. Head chef."

"Sasha Braus. Sous chef."

"Connie Springer. Waiter."

"Gunther Schultz. Bouncer."

"Armin Arlert. I play clarinet in the band."

"Mikasa Ackerman. Waitress."

"Reiner Braun. I play drums for the band."

"Bertholdt Hoover. I play bass in the band."

"Annie Leonhardt. Bouncer."

Petra cocked her head at this one...such a tiny girl was a bouncer? But the grim, hard expression seemed to speak volumes and Petra imagined this girl was more than met the eyes.

"Marco Bodt. Waiter."

"Ymir. I play sax in the band."

"Erwin Smith. Co-Owner."

Petra made note of this...two owners to impress. Ugh!

"Mike Zacharius. I'm in the band."

"Moblit Berner. I'm in the band too."

"Marlow Freudenburg. Band member as well."

"Hitch Dreyse. In the band, yo!"

Petra's head was swimming as she tried to remember all the names.

"There's one more," Levi muttered from beside her as the workers began dispersing , "I swear to God I'm going to kick his ass if he's late again."

But at that moment, the door to the kitchen swung open and said person walked in. Looking around and noticing the three people on stage, he trotted over to see what was going on.

"Hey, Levi. Who's the broad?"

He looked up at them with bored looking hazel eyes scanned her up and down with a somewhat lecherous smile. He stood with his weight mostly to one side in a standing lean, his chin cupped between his thumb and forefinger as he examined her. He wore the standard uniform, except for his plum colored cravat that was tied in a loose simple tie knot. His hair was a mop of ash blonde that stuck out at odd places and just looking at him, there was no way of telling his age because he looked older in some ways and young in others. Petra immediately felt a rush of dislike towards the cocky, uncouth man.

"Petra," Levi sighed, waving vaguely at the newcomer, "This is Auruo Bossard. My best damn waiter in the joint, but a complete pain in the ass."

"Don't go tainting her first impression with your lies, Levi," Auruo said with a sneer.

"I'd already guessed as much," Petra couldn't help it, the words just came out. Both Levi and Auruo stared at her in disbelief.

"That so, honey?" Auruo recovered quickly, crossing his arms over his chest, "Well, let me guess something about you. Privileged little brat who only got this job because your daddy fixed it up for you?"

"That's enough," Levi snapped, successfully ending what was shaping up to be a potential bloodbath, "Auruo, get out of here and get in your spot. Petra, go over to Krista and have her show you the ropes for tonight. Tomorrow night you're on your own so I hope you learn fast."

Petra nodded and made her way off the side of the stage and headed towards the door where people were already lined up outside on the sidewalk in the night air. She chanced a glance over her shoulder and immediately wished she hadn't because Auruo Bossard was watching her and when he caught her eye he gave her a wink and a cocky smile. God, she hated his stupid, smug face!

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 **Here is a link to what I imagine the interior of the club looks like in case you're interested in a mental picture, just remember to remove the spaces in the link (The only thing is, it's not circular): www. /files/travelagent /nodes/2013 /39986/ europa2jazzclub. jpg**


	2. Chapter 2

**I...have nothing to say, to be honest, so here's Chapter Two!**

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Petra followed Krista around as she seated various clients in various places, taking in the way the petite blonde greeted people and her winning smile and made mental notes to be this enthusiastic tomorrow when she would be doing this alone.

The band members were playing away, all of them looking very relaxed and in their element as they poured out tune after tune, keeping the atmosphere perfect. Eld was busy at the bar shaking cocktails and making easy conversation with the folks sitting there, his winning smile always present on his handsome face.

"Excuse me, Petra!" Eren laughed as he effortlessly twisted past her between the tables with a tray held on the palm of his hand; Petra smiled and watched him as he laid the very tasty looking food orders down at the table and laughed brightly at something the old lady wearing pearls said to him as he tucked the silver tray under his arm and relaxed a moment to make conversation.

Gunther and Annie stood on the opposite side of the door from the hostess desk and they were scanning the room for trouble or drunkards. Annie nodded with her chin towards a particularly obnoxious young man who seemed to have had too many Martinis and then she rolled her eyes as he reached out and attempted to grope Mikasa as she passed with her tray of drinks. Gunther was immediately across the room and very quickly and without much fuss, dragged the young man to the door and tossed him unceremoniously out onto the sidewalk.

The place seemed to work like a well oiled machine, everyone knew their job and everyone did it well...but Petra noticed that one waiter seemed to be a particular favorite among the customers: Auruo Bossard.

She didn't know how he had managed to gain such a crowd of fans, but ladies and men alike were greeting him with massive smiles and cheerful tones, some ladies with fluttering lashes and obvious breast exposure when the leaned forward to speak to him. Auruo, for his part, responded with flirtatious winks and lopsided grins to the ladies and backslaps and jovial conversation to the men. Petra was amazed at how easy he made it look, like making the customers happy was second nature to him, he flowed around his assigned tables with ease and looked perfectly content to be doing so.

Petra still hated him.

"Ok, your turn!" Krista's voice made Petra finally look away from Auruo and she nodded in acceptance of the task. The next pair of customers entered, a tall woman with short blonde hair and a man with black hair and a bit of scruff on his chin, and Petra stepped up to the plate.

"Hello, welcome to The Inner Wall, my name is Petra and I'll be your hostess this fine evening," she said smoothly and easily, the way she'd seen Krista do it many times so far during the night, "Will you be wanting to sit at a table tonight?"

"Yes, our usual," the blonde stated.

Petra froze and looked desperately over to where Krista had been standing by the desk and she wanted to groan when she realized Krista was gone! She looked around and saw the small blonde laughing about something near the stage with Ymir the saxophone player.

"I...which one is..." Petra didn't know why she was so flustered, all she had to do was let them know she was new and didn't know which table was their usual, but her brain seemed to have blown a fuse from her nervousness and she couldn't bring the words to her mouth.

"Ah, Miss Nanaba and Mr. Dok!" Petra was horrified to hear that voice, but at the same time she was overcome with gratefulness. Auruo was standing at her side suddenly, his arm draped over her shoulders. Petra tried her best not to think about how good he smelled as she turned to look at him, he had that smug look on his face again, like the look he'd given her earlier. "Don't mind her, she's new. Doesn't really have a clue about nothin' yet."

Petra's jaw dropped. Why that arrogant...

"She'll learn," Auruo continued, ushering the customers with his hand to continue towards the tables, "But some take more time than others. Guess they can't all be pretty _and_ smart."

Nanaba and Mr. Dok laughed at that quip and Petra just stared in open mouthed horror as Auruo escorted them to their table. She wanted so badly to just punch him in the back of his stupid, shaggy haired head and say something nasty like "Well some people can't be pretty _or_ smart!"...but she just stood there with her hands clenched tightly in matching fists, glaring daggers into her new nemesis' back.

"Petra, you've got a line of people waiting," Annie's whisper in her ear made Petra relax slightly and she turned to see that Annie was correct, several customers were waiting at the door with annoyed expressions on their faces. Immediately, Petra went back into her sweet and welcoming persona and effortlessly began seating them.

One particular young lady wanted a specific seat at a table near the bar and Petra rolled her eyes to herself as she realized she would have to pass Auruo on the way to the table in Connie's jurisdiction. She kept her head held high and ignored him completely as she approached but as she passed, the conversation between Auruo and the young lady at the table he was standing near grabbed her attention.

"Come on, Auruo, get up on that stage and grace us all with a number!"

"Oh, please do, Auruo!" another girl at the next table over agreed enthusiastically.

Petra seated her customer and headed back towards the hostess table, the doorway was thankfully void of newcomers and she would have a chance to catch her breath and relax for a minute. She leaned against the desk and looked out at all the tables, taking in the sights of all the well-dressed and sophisticated customers...but she realized that the majority of the customers were now looking at Auruo and calling out to him.

"Come on, man! Get up there!"

"I came all the way here for this, baby!"

"Please, Auruo!"

Auruo, to Petra's immense surprise, was blushing a bright red color that spread all the way to his ears and he was rubbing the back of his neck nercously.

"Aw, come on..." he murmured with an embarrassed laugh.

But the crowd continued to insist and Auruo finally agreed to do whatever it was the crowd was demanding.

"I got your tables for a bit," Mikasa offered and Auruo gave her a grateful smile before he trotted across the floor towards the stage. He jumped up onto the raised platform and was met with high fives and happy grins by the band members. Petra watched in utter shock as he turned back around and stepped up to the mic, his hand wrapping gently around the mic pole as he looked out to the crowd with a genuine smile...and Petra was even more shocked to find that she liked his smile, it made him look years younger.

"Alright, you beggars," he addressed the cheering crowd with snarky ease, "What can I do you for this evening?"

"SWAY!"

The entire crowd seemed to be in agreement with this and Auruo shook his head in embarrassed acceptance. He turned and faced the band, giving them a slight nod.

"You heard them, guys," he said, his voice sounding somewhat more excited than he seemed on the outside, "The masses have spoken. Upbeat. One, two, three..."

The band began to play, and Petra recognized the song immediately, a peppy version of a classic favorite. Auruo continued to face the band while they played the intro, his foot tapping to the rhythm, then he turned and took the mic stand in his hand again, his eyes closing as he opened his mouth...and started to sing.

Petra felt a rush of absolute disbelief hit her, and she almost fell off her seat behind the hostess desk in shock and amazement. Auruo Bossard's voice was anything but what she expected! It was smooth and strong, like how Petra imagined melted chocolate would sound if it had a voice...it was perfect. Every word was pronounced perfectly in a tone heavy with seduction and intriguing promise and Petra found herself leaning forward to rest her chin on her palm, her eyes glued to the man on the stage.

She was fascinated...he looked like he belonged on that stage. His eyes were half closed as he began to get into the music, his Adam's Apple bobbing with the words of the song, his hands sliding up and down the mid stand as he adjusted his stance according to the flow of the music...it was almost like he was dancing with it.

When the music hit a crescendo, his voice rose to accommodate the change perfectly, his voice flooding the entire club with its powerful, smooth and perfect sound. When the song ended, the crowd erupted in applause and cheering and Auruo blushed bright again and hung his head a bit.

"There you go, hope you're happy now," he said into the mic, giving the crowd a wink before he jumped down the floor and made his way back to his table section amid a sea of congratulatory handshakes and pats on the back.

He glanced over to where Petra was sitting, still frozen in awe, and caught her eye. He gave her a smile that looked just a little too smug to be friendly and the spell was broken. Petra just squinted her eyes at him and turned her head to the side, refusing to acknowledge him.

Ok, so he was the best singer she'd ever heard in her life...but he was still a completely pompous ass. She was glad to see a customer enter the club and all thoughts of the cocky waiter flew from her mind as she greeted them eagerly as the band began to play "A String of Pearls".

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 **Songs to listen to from this chapter: "Sway" by Michael Buble and "A String of Pearls" by Glenn Miller and His Orchestra**

 **Hope you all are liking this so far, it's a joy for me to write!**

 **Review if you want to! I would love it if you did :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**I intended to get this chapter and chapters in two other fics up yesterday but...I got called into work for my third 24 hour shift in a row...yay...I haven't slept in three days!**

 **Ugh...ok, here we go.**

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By the time the night ended, Petra was wishing she'd worn flats to her interview; to be fair, she hadn't really intended to start work as soon as she stepped out of the office! The club was slowing down, the last song of the night was being sung, surprisingly enough, by the woman Petra had failed in seating earlier. Banana? No, Nanaba, that's what it was!

Petra watched and listened in a dreamy haze as she took a seat at her desk, leaning her head on her palm and closing her eyes to take in the sultry voice of Nanaba's voice. It was an unfamiliar tune, but it was slow and sad and full of emotion and Petra thought it was the perfect song to end the night with. When the song ended, the customers and members began to leave in a herd.

"That was so lovely," Petra attempted to redeem herself by complimenting Nanaba as she and Mr. Dok walked past her hostess desk. Nanaba smiled genuinely and thanked her before she was caught up in the crowd and followed the flow through the front doors. When the last customer was through, Gunther locked the front doors and sighed.

"Another day, another dollar," he said as he pocketed the key, Petra decided she rather liked the large man's deep speaking voice, "Ain't that right, Petra?"

She nodded in agreement, rubbing her feet underneath the desk. No more heels this high for work ever again.

"I think I need to buy new feet," she complained. Gunther laughed and jerked his head towards the bar where several employees had already gathered; Eld was pouring drinks for some of them while others engaged in conversation. Petra realized this must be the nightly ritual and she was eager to join in.

She and Gunther passed Connie and Marco as they were wiping down tables, Mikasa and Auruo were busy too, vacuuming and gathering the used candles.

"So how was the first night?" Gunther asked as they took a seat at a table near the bar that Connie hadn't wiped down yet since the barstools were all occupied.

"I loved it!" Petra told him honestly, "I really did. This is the best job I could ever ask for!"

"It's pretty damn chill," Gunther agreed, giving Eren a grateful nod as the boy handed him a beer.

"Would you like a drink, Petra?" Eren asked, smiling at her. She liked this kid's smile, it was full of mischief, but it was honest.

"No thanks, Eren, I have to drive home," Petra turned down the offer, "But thanks for offering. You all have been very welcoming!"

"Why wouldn't we be?" the blonde clarinet player, Armin, asked as he took a seat across from Gunther and laid his instrument case on the floor by his side, "You fit right in here. Did you like the band?"

"You guys are all fantastic! Man, when Mike did that trombone solo, that was awesome!" Petra cheered and then looked around for said trombone player and only then did she realize the majority of the band was gone already.

"Yeah, they usually cut out pretty quick," Gunther informed her, "A lot of them have second jobs to get to in the mornings. Reiner and Bertholdt work for the city doing demolition, Mike is a firefighter. Hitch, Krista and Marlow are in college so they have classes all day until they come to work here again in the evening. Ymir just isn't the socializing at work type but she's cool once you get to know her."

Jean and Sasha emerged from the kitchen, looking tired but smiling and, as soon as Connie joined them, the three of them bid their goodbyes and left as well. Soon, the only people remaining were Petra, Hanji, Eld, Eren, and Levi so they began to claim seats at the bar and nurse their drinks slowly. Petra sipped on a bottle of water to stay on the responsible side.

Auruo was still there as well, finishing the cleaning in his table section. Finally, he sat down on the barstool next to Eren and asked Eld for a bottle of water too. Petra watched him out of the corner of her eye, still pissed at him for what he'd said about her earlier to Nanaba...that swine.

"Hey, Bossard, how's it hangin'?" Hanji was returning from a trip to the bathroom and she claimed the barstool between Petra and the ash blond waiter.

"A little to the right." Auruo's reply was so nonchalant that it took Petra a moment to catch what he'd said.

"What the hell, man?" Eren choked on his drink and started laughing.

"Don't know what kind of answer you were expecting from a question like that..." Auruo shrugged like he was innocent in the matter, but Petra saw a mischievous glint in his eye.

"You're disgusting..." she muttered to herself...but obviously not quite enough to herself because Auruo leaned back on his barstool to look around Hanji.

"Oh, hey, it's the new girl," he commented dully, "Already thinking she knows what's what. Did you finally figure out the seating chart, babe?"

Petra's cheeks burned; not out of embarrassment, but pure rage. She clenched her fists at her sides and stared at the label of her water bottle.

"Anyway, it's been fun but I've got shit to do so, I'm out!" Auruo spun around on his seat and slid off to stand, "See you all tomorrow."

Everyone bid their goodbyes...everyone but Petra.

She was secretly plotting revenge.

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It wasn't too long after Auruo left that Petra bid her farewells to her coworkers and Levi, who informed her she did a good job, and headed out the back door to her car. She pulled out her IPod and put on some upbeat pop music to offset the soothing, sleep inducing lull of the night's smooth jazz and pulled out onto traffic, heading for her neighborhood.

She was getting into the music, singing out loud and bobbing her head and drumming her thumbs against her steering wheel, when she looked up ahead and immediately stopped all jovial activity in a split second. She recognized the person plodding down the sidewalk; there was no mistaking that mop of ash blond hair, that tall, lean frame and that wide-stanced swagger...wide enough to make her assume his "a little to the right" comment earlier had been a bit on the modest side.

 _What the hell, Petra? Why are you thinking about that rude, uncouth jackass's dick size right now?!_

She shook her head and, against the tiny voice in her head, she slowed down to a crawl and rolled her window down, she noticed that the air outside was much colder and it smelled like rain and she felt a sudden desire to be helpful...but the desire to be a smartass was stronger.

"Hey, good looking!" she yelled out the window at him and he jumped in surprise, looking around wildly until he spotted her and he blinked incredulously, "How much would it cost to take you home with me tonight?"

 _God, Petra, what are you saying?_ She didn't really know, she just wanted to fluster him; it didn't work and he just gave her a wolfish grin and waggled his eyebrows.

"A studly, young Frenchman like myself?" he shot right back without missing a beat, "More than a simple hostess like yourself could ever dream of affording."

Petra laughed despite her distaste of the man and she was about to roll her window back up and go on her way, but a sudden and incredibly loud clap of thunder made the both of them yelp in surprise and the clouds broke, sending rain pelting heavily down from the sky.

"Get in loser!" she yelled, a feeling of pity like she felt when she saw a hungry stray dog came over her at the sight of her coworker getting soaked with his suit jacket covering his head as he ducked against the downpour. He looked out from under the material at her, his eyes questioning if she really meant it, and then he trotted into the street and slid into her passenger seat with a grateful sigh.

"Hey, thanks, noob," he said with a shake of his head that sent droplets of water flying through the entire car and then he grinned at her and winked, "But I'm still not lowering my rates for you."

Petra just huffed in thinly veiled disgust and sped up, rejoining the flow of traffic.

"Where to?" she asked.

"You can just drop me off a few blocks from here at the subway stop," Auruo replied simply, resting his arm on the door, leaning back and turned slightly so he could look at her better, "I'll just take the train from there."

"Auruo, you're in my car and we're apparently heading the same way," Petra dismissed his statement, "I can take you to your place."

"Naw, it's fine," Auruo seemed pretty eager to convince her, "I don't want to inconvenience you."

"Hey, it's raining out and it's late," Petra insisted, "And the last thing I need is you walking home in this and being an ass at work because you came down with pneumonia! You're already enough of a mean, cocky, nasty bastard as it is."

She slapped her hand over her mouth when she realized she'd spoken her thoughts out loud and she glanced over at him; he was staring at her in shock, his eyebrows were lifted so high that they were not even visible below his hairline. He looked genuinely affronted.

"What?" he asked incredulously, and seemed to lose his ability to form a sentence, "That's...not..."

"Oh, so now you lose your eloquence? Not so clever after all?" Petra's stored up venom from his actions all night were pouring out and he continued to stare in wide-eyed unhappiness, "It's alright...remember, we can't all be pretty _and_ smart. Apparently some of us can't be _either._ "

There! Ha! She'd finally said exactly what had been on her mind all night! She'd blurted out the witty retort she'd rolled over and over in her head every time they had made eye contact throughout the night at the club...but, now, the look of hurt that came over his face for a split second before he masked it made her triumph stick uncomfortably in her throat and she regretted it immediately.

"I deserved that," he assured her calmly, "I...really wanted to kick myself for saying that earlier, it was really rude and completely untrue. It's just that Nanaba and Nile are regulars and she sings for us often and...I just didn't want them to be upset about your incompetence."

Petra wondered how he managed to insult her even while he was apologizing...

"Shit, I mean...just...you're not incompetent...and you're not NOT pretty either," Auruo seemed desperate for her to understand his point of view, but he clamped his mouth shut after that last statement and looked out the window at the apartment complex they were passing by, "Oh, hey, this is my building."

Petra was more than glad to get him out of her car, the space inside the vehicle had become tense and uncomfortable and she just wanted to drop him off and get home to her cat and her bed and forget about how rude he was...but also how there was something about him that she felt she needed to know more about. She must be missing something, right? Everyone else seemed to adore him and get along just fine...what was it about him that earned their respect and admiration that she wasn't seeing?!

Auruo was out of her car before she even came to a full stop and he seemed like he wanted to bolt...but he sighed heavily and made his way around to her side of the car and leaned down through the window that she'd opened so he could speak, crossing his arms on the door and looking her square in the eyes.

"Petra, we got off on the wrong foot, I think," he said gently, his smug tone was gone and Petra realized he sounded like a totally different person, "I was pretty brainless tonight and I am sorry for what I said. If we're gonna work together all the time then we should try to get along, yeah? Can we start over?"

Petra blinked, struck dumb by his sincerity, and nodded. He smiled at her, a real smile, and it caused an incredible transformation, it made him look young; the lines at the corners of his mouth and eyes made sense to her now...laugh lines, not scowl lines.

"Thanks for the ride," he was saying when her brain decided to work again, "See ya at work tomorrow!"

He ducked under the rain, pulling his jacket back over his head as he headed for the apartment building's front door. Petra waited for her chance to get back on the road and she watched as Auruo fumbled with his key in the apartment door's lock, but as she pulled into traffic and glanced in her rearview mirror she saw him straighten up and watch her drive away...he trotted down the front steps of the building and began walking down the sidewalk again towards the nearby subway station.

Why had he lied about this being his apartment building? What was up with this guy? He was all over the place! One minute grumpy and rude, the next gentle and apologetic. He was a mystery to Petra...and she suddenly found herself wanting to know his secrets.

 **AOT AOT AOT AOT AOT AOT AOT AOT AOT AOT AOT AOT AOT AOT AOT AOT AOT AOT**

 **Songs for this chapter:**

 _ **"The Way Things Were" -Anita Marie**_

 **This chapter was supposed to be longer but I thought this was a good place to end it so I did :)**

 **Read and review, my wonderful readers, I love to hear from you!**


	4. Chapter 4

**I am really fricken tired and really fricken pissed off today...but I'm gonna write anyway so here you go!**

 **AOT AOT AOT AOT AOT AOT AOT AOT AOT AOT AOT AOT AOT AOT AOT AOT AOT**

The next night Petra showed up to work early, dressed in her brand new black pencil skirt and white button up shirt, per uniform code...however she made the wise decision to wear shoes with a much shorter heel. She wanted to come in early to talk a little with her new coworkers and get to know them better, which felt somewhat odd to her...she'd never felt enough at home in a job that she actually _wanted_ to hang out with her fellow employees and especially not her bosses!

"Hey, Petra!" Eld called from the bar, a bright smile on his handsome face, "You're here kind of early, aren't you?"

Petra trotted across the room to take a seat by the bar.

"Yeah, I just...well, you know, new job and all," she suddenly felt lame for showing up a half hour early, it seems no one else but Eld did. "I just would hate to be late my second day."

"Oh, man, Levi's gonna love having you around," Eld whistled and shook his head, "You sound pretty dedicated."

"I am," Petra assured him, "This is my dream job! Well...I mean, OWNING a place like this would be my dream job, I suppose."

"Hey, Eld, Petra!" Eren came through the back door with Mikasa and Armin right behind him, "You're really early!"

"Some people actually dedicate themselves to stuff, Jeager," Jean's snarky voice preceded his appearance, blonde spiky hair poked around the corner followed by his rather handsome face.

"Yeah, something you know _sooo_ much about, right?" Eren rolled his eyes, "Wasn't your big plan when you moved here to be a cop? So why are you cooking crappy food for a living, huh?"

"I happen to be a great cook, you little...!"

"Oh, will you both just stop?" Annie's voice cut in to the argument and Petra looked over her shoulder to smile at the blonde, "And what about you, Eren? Working here was your big plan too?"

"Hell no," Eren snapped.

"Well if you don't like it, you can get out of here," the sound of Levi's voice made everyone fall into silence...except for Eld who was chuckling under his breath. Eren spun around and at least had the decency to look worried.

"Oh, sorry sir! I didn't mean it, Jean just pissed me off!"

"Oh, right, it's _my_ fault you hate your job?" Jean growled, grabbing Eren's arm and giving him a shake.

"Jean, get back in the kitchen," Levi gave the blond a squinty look that left no room for argument, "Sasha's already back there working so why are you wasting your time out here bothering my waiters?"

Jean let out a huff and turned to go back to the kitchen, muttering as he went about "Jeager always being the favorite"

A few of the band members had shown up while the argument was occurring and were already setting up on stage so Armin went to join them. Petra followed him so she could interact with the band a little bit, she'd not had any time the previous night.

"Hi, everyone," she called out happily and was relieved when they all smiled back, except Ymir who just gave her a nod before she leaned down to open her saxophone case.

"Hey, new girl! Petra, right?" said a broad shouldered and rather large man with blond hair grinned at her; she believed his name was...Reiner? Yes, Reiner.

"Yes, and you're Reiner?" Petra responded with a bright smile.

"You're lookin' good tonight, Petra," Reiner stated confidently, "You free for drinks later?"

Petra was a little bit flattered, to be honest, but she knew just by looking at him he was not her type.

"I'm always glad to go out drinking with my friends," she countered easily, turning him down for a one on one date but leaving the door open for him to come into her friendship circle, "Let's all go out together in a few nights. The whole band!"

The band members cheered and stated their agreements and they all began to mumble about what times and days worked best, Reiner frowned slightly but recovered quickly with a shrug and a charming grin.

"I'm game for that."

The band had to warm up and opening was coming up fast so Petra wished them all luck and headed for her hostess desk next to the door, across from where Gunther stood looking intimidating and large as usual, but the image was shattered when he gave her a genuine smile.

"On your own tonight, huh?" he asked as he scanned the line of people waiting outside, "I guess Krista got another job so she's only here a few nights a week now, looks like you're our main hostess."

"Oh joy..." Petra twirled her finger in a circle next to her head and did her best to look bored, but she failed and ended up grinning like an idiot instead, "Who am I kidding, I'm freaking excited!"

"You'll do fine," Gunther assured her, "You're a natural."

"Not really," Petra sighed, remembering the blunder with Nanaba the night before. Luckily Auruo had been there to save her from pissing off a very highly respected client...at the expense of her own pride though. Speaking of that rude, uncouth, lying..."We seem to be missing a waiter."

"You mean, Auruo?" Gunther asked, "Yeah, he's always here right on the minute."

"Well, that seems a bit irresponsible," Petra muttered, considering how many other people out there would love to have this job and appreciate it enough to show up on time.

"Irresponsible?" Gunther gave her an odd look, "Auruo is the most responsible person I know. He...aw, it's really not my place to divulge his personal affairs."

At that exact moment, the topic of their conversation burst through the back door and immediately headed for his assigned table section which, Petra noticed with annoyance, was the tables nearest the main doors...right by the hostess desk. Great.

"About time you showed up," Petra mumbled at him, going against her better judgment.

Auruo stood straight and tall by his tables like the other waiters but he gave her a sideways look and then a cocky grin.

"Well at least I'm in proper uniform," he replied calmly, totally unaffected by her statement.

"What!? I am in proper uniform!" Petra snapped, looking down at her clothes... _oh, shit, he's right. I forgot my tie on my dresser!_

"Here," she was snapped out of her dismay and looked up to see him offering her a piece of plum colored material, a cravat. "I always have a spare. I don't keep them around just to hand out to forgetful women but..."

Petra sheepishly took the offered cravat and sighed.

"Thanks," she mumbled, "I...um...I don't know how to..."

Auruo rolled his eyes and let out an annoyed grunt before he snatched the cravat back and stepped up to her, wrapping the material around her neck before she could even register what he was doing. Petra stiffened as he measured out the sides to their proper lengths and began to tie it expertly. Petra noticed that, as he focused on his task, his tongue peeked out of the corner of his mouth and he chewed on it gently. If he wasn't such an asshole she probably would have found it endearing.

It only took a few seconds for him to get it tied and then he stepped back to examine his work, his eyebrows furrowed for a moment and then his expression changed to something she didn't recognize. He cleared his throat and nodded, giving her a thumbs up before stepping back into his place at his tables, just in time for Gunther to unlock the door. Petra examined her seating chart and began planning out the flow, her face went into automatic hostess mode and she smiled charmingly at the first customers of the night.

"Good evening, welcome to The Inner Wall. My name is Petra and I'll be your hostess this evening. If there's not a particular table you've reserved for tonight, follow me please."

She was getting the hang of this! She smiled brightly at Marco as she seated them in his section and he smiled back as he walked over to take their drink orders. Marco was someone she hadn't talked to much since she started yesterday but she immediately liked this guy, he was freckled and cute as could be with a calm, steady voice and eyes full of honesty. A good kid, to be sure.

Petra returned to the door and smiled as she recognized Nanaba coming inside. Nanaba smiled back and waved...Petra guessed her near blunder with the seating had been forgiven.

"Good evening, Miss Nanaba," Petra greeted as she approached, "Your usual table?"

"Yes, please," Nanaba responded, "But if you'd like to take the next person in line, I can seat myself. Lord knows I know my way around this place."

She gave Petra a wink and then headed for her table, in Mikasa's section tonight. Petra liked how they switched up the waiters and their section, it kept it fresh for everyone involved and allowed the waiters to interact with various customers for the best experience they could get in this job.

Petra continued seating the incoming crowd until the sidewalk outside was empty. A few people would make their way in as the night went on but the main crowd usually took all the seats for an hour or so at least so she flipped around the sign that indicated to the hopefuls outside that the club was at full capacity.

"Hey, Gunther," she asked as she took her seat behind the hostess desk, "Whose idea was it to switch the servers and their tables every night?"

"Erwin's," Gunther informed her, "He likes his staff to be well rounded and challenged. This way they don't get complacent and bored of the same people every night."

"He sounds like a shrewd businessman," Petra made note of this for the ideals of her own club someday.

"That's why he's the main owner and Levi's his partner," Gunther agreed, "Levi is especially good at choosing and managing the staff, but Erwin is better at financial planning and business management. Excuse me."

Petra watched with a giggle as Gunther went to pull someone off the stage who appeared to have already been drinking long before she arrived at the club, she was standing next to Bertholdt, leaning over so close to his instrument that her nose was almost touching the strings. Bertholdt looked very uncomfortable, but he continued to play as the lady sniffled and sobbed about how beautifully he played. Thankfully, the lady went quietly along with Gunther and he returned her to her seat where she continued to cry over the beauty of the music...even though the song was upbeat and lively.

Petra giggled and shook her head, scanning the room for other interesting activity. Connie was telling a story to a rather buxom young woman and his arms and hands were very animated, Petra would have to ask him to tell it to her at some point. Mikasa was carrying two trays full of delicately balanced drinks on it, but her eyes were almost bored looking in her obvious ease as she made her way to the table that ordered them, very impressive! Marco was explaining an item on the menu to an elder gentleman and his wife, his face was gentle and patient and the old man's embarrassment at having to ask was fading quickly at Marco's genuine concern for his question. Eren had his head thrown back as he laughed out loud at something a man at one table had said and she watched as the man beamed, as Eren turned to go and check on another table she saw him give Auruo a good natured eye-roll...the man must have told a really lame joke, Petra mused, and Eren had been kind enough to laugh genuinely enough to make it seem real.

They were all very good at what they did here, excellent waiters (and a waitress!) indeed.

But Auruo...he took the cake.

He may show up to work with no time to spare but, when he was there, he worked with the determination and care of a professional and Petra found herself watching his every move despite her distaste. He weaved between the tables with ease, almost gracefully in fact, his face relaxed until the need arose for any other sort of expression, and he was always ready with a smile, a laugh, a look of concern, a raise of the eyebrows to let someone know he would be there in a moment to see to their needs. Not only that but he always had the words to say and his confident attitude made him very well liked among his customers as he easily chatted with them about anything and everything.

Petra wondered again why she seemed to be the only one who saw how he was outside of work; saw the sarcastic jerk who lied about where he lived and turned down her offer to help him out. She also wondered why he'd decided to call her, and only her, "broad" and claim she was unintelligent in front of respected customers...

No...wait...he'd apologized for that, hadn't he? He'd said he wanted to start over since they got off on the wrong foot. Maybe she was missing something, because everyone else seemed to see things about him that she didn't. Gunther had said he was the most responsible person he knew and the customers loved him and Levi had claimed him to be "the best damn waiter in the place"...but they'd all known him longer. Hopefully time would tell.

Her musing was cut short when she realized the crowd was cheering again and shouting out a ringing chorus of "please" and "Aw come on" and "get up there!" and she felt a thrill of anticipation when she realized they were cheering for Auruo to get up on stage and sing again. Oh, was this a nightly event? She could get used to that!

Auruo had that sheepish grin on his face, the same one as the night before, and he shook his head at the demands of the crowd for a while until the cheering got loud enough for Levi, Jean and Sasha to poke their heads out of the back room to see what the commotion was.

Levi looked very annoyed as he walked out and got up on the stage, silencing the crowd as he approached the mic.

"Bossard, get your ass up here right now," was all he said before nodding at the crowd and stepping back down, heading right for the back room again.

The crowd was murmuring happily in the wave of Levi's demand and Auruo obediently made his way up on stage, but Petra noticed the look of annoyance on his face was fake and he was actually getting a kick out of all this. What a jerk.

"Alright, fine, who am I to say no to the boss?" Auruo said with a laugh in his voice, "And I guess you guys too. So, how about it, what's your pleasure?"

To Petra's surprise, Nanaba stood up and began making her way to the stage, Auruo gave her a winning smile and offered her his hand to help her up on stage.

"Ah, Miss Nanaba, how are you this evening?" he asked galantly.

"I'm quite well, thank you, Auruo," Nanaba replied, "I thought maybe you and I could do a duet tonight? I know you know the song I'm thinking of."

The crowd seemed to swell with excitement and Petra assumed the pair had sung together before, maybe even this very song...it seemed to be a mutual understanding. Auruo nodded and turned to the band to speak with them about the song. Armin gave a thumbs up before standing and disappearing behind the piano to the corner where their instrument cases were piled and returning a moment later without his clarinet, instead he held an accordion.

Petra leaned against her desk and watched as Moblit brought a second microphone up to the stage for Nanaba and then took his seat with the band again. The two singers stepped up to their respective mics and gave the band matching nods to signify they were ready...and the band began.

Armin played the accordion and the strings joined in with the piano as the song began and Petra recognized the tune immediately...La Vie en Rose. She knew this would be lovely so he rested her chin on her hand and waited for the voices to join in, remembering Auruo's comment last night about being French. She wondered just how broken and crappy and his French would be, just like everyone else who tried to sing this song...but she immediately regretted that thought.

Auruo began to sing, taking the beginning of the duet as his part, in perfect, smooth, beautiful baritone French...sounding like he was born for this. His voice rose and fell in perfect timing, full of perfect emotion with words that Petra didn't understand language wise, but she could understand by the feelings they brought to her mind as they echoed around the club: words filled with romance and happiness.

When Nanaba joined in with her sultry, slightly rougher voice, they melded together perfectly and Petra found herself wishing she could record this to listen to as she fell asleep each night. It was relaxing and beautiful and their harmonies made her feel peaceful and calm.

All too soon, the song was over and the singers took their bows to the cheering crowd. Auruo lifted Nanaba's hand and pressed a kiss to the back of it before stepping back and giving her the spotlight for the crowd to cheer. He hopped off the stage and went back to work like nothing out of the ordinary had happened, like he hadn't just lulled the entire room into a state of relaxation of awe, like he hadn't just shattered every mean thought Petra had thought towards him that night into pieces that she couldn't manage to gather up again.

All she could think as she watched him blush at the praise of the customers was that she wanted to know more about him...and she would.

 **AOT AOT AOT AOT AOT AOT AOT AOT AOT AOT AOT AOT AOT AOT AOT AOT AOT AOT**

 **Yay! I got a chapter done and it only took me all day long! Tomorrow is a work day so if it's a chill day then I should get a lot of writing done tomorrow!**

 **Keep posted and review and be awesome!**


	5. Chapter 5

**While my husband is off playing Borderlands with his brothers, I shall fill my evening with writing I guess...**

 **AOT AOT AOT AOT AOT AOT AOT AOT AOT AOT AOT AOT AOT AOT AOT AOT AOT**

All night long Petra found herself hoping that Auruo would be coaxed up on stage again, she even considered asking him to sing again for her sake but she resisted because he sure did look busy as he saw to the needs of the new influx of customers that came in as the regulars started to call it a night; the last hour was crazy busy as people swarmed in to try and get their alcohol, food and dancing in before the place closed down.

Petra was back and forth between the door and tables over and over again and it was exhausting, but she smiled and greeted and her spirits were high despite her tired feet. The band was starting to wind down their music, choosing to play a slower and more soothing selection instead of the night's earlier bouncy tunes, currently they were in the middle of "Round About Midnight". Petra took in the smooth, seductive sound of the individual instruments as she walked back to her desk for the next customer...damn they were good at their jobs.

"Petra," Auruo's voice stopped her in her tracks and she turned to look at him in surprise, he was looking at her with a friendly expression, not his usual smug one. "Are you gonna stick around for drinks after work tonight?"

She blinked a few times and then nodded.

"Sure," she replied, remembering how many of them had chilled out after work yesterday, although Auruo had left that night earlier than she had.

"Cool, I just figured you should get to know everyone better," Auruo said with a shrug, "It's kind of the best time to do it. Friday nights."

She flashed him a smile, a real one, and continued her walk to seat the next customer.

AOT AOT AOT AOT AOT AOT AOT

Midnight rolled around and the last customer made their way through the doors and Annie locked it behind them with a sigh. She rolled her eyes at Petra and shook her hair out of her face.

"Sure were some winners here tonight," she muttered and Petra nodded in wide eyed agreement. There had indeed been several incidents requiring Annie and Gunther to step in. First the girl who'd jumped on stage to cry over Bertholdt's bass playing, then someone had the nerve to snort a line on the back of one of the toilets in the men's room, then two women got into a fight over god knows what.

"That's the truth," Petra agreed, "I can't believe that guy was doing drugs in the bathroom!"

"You should have seen Marco's face when he told Gunther, that blush makes those freckles stand out even more," Annie chuckled and then nodded towards the bar where the workers were beginning to gather.

"I'll be there in a minute," Petra called to her and Annie walked away with a shrug. Petra stuck all the seating charts in the compartment under the desk and shoved the stool under as well, then she walked over to where Auruo was wiping down his tables and she nudged him with her elbow in the ribs. He let out a little _oof_ sound and then looked up with a grin.

"Hey," he greeted, "How was your night?"

"Busy, but not as busy as yours," Petra admitted, "Would you like a little help cleaning up?"

He blinked at her in pleasant surprise.

"Sure...uh, if you want to grab the vacuum from Eren..." he was stuttering and Petra giggled before giving him a thumbs up and going to borrow the vacuum. As she swept the area, Auruo cleared the dishes and glasses and took them to the back and when he returned they rearranged the chairs together and then headed to the bar. The barstools were full since the majority of people had stayed tonight so they grabbed their drinks and took a seat at a table with Ymir, Reiner and Krista, who had shown up right before closing from her other job to give Ymir a ride home.

"C'mon, Krista, why won't you go on a date with me?" Reiner was complaining.

"How many times do I have to tell you I'm not interested?" Krista asked, not rudely, just matter-of-factly.

"I just figure one day you'll give into my undeniable charm and good looks," Reiner said confidently, puffing up his admittedly impressively sized chest.

"God, get a clue, Riener," Ymir rolled her eyes and gave Krista a meaningful look, "She isn't just not interested in you...she doesn't play for your team."

Petra choked on her martini and started coughing and laughing at the same time, she couldn't help it because Reiner's expression was priceless! His eyes got huge and his jaw dropped and he kept making little pained sounds.

"Oh, come on, Reiner," Auruo said with a sardonic expression, "Are you seriously surprised?"

"Wha-...yes!" Reiner snapped, clearly taken aback by the news. "Ymir just shattered my hopes and dreams!"

"Get your own dream," Ymir laughed, pulling Krista to her side with one arm. Krista laughed lightly and leaned her head onto her girlfriend's shoulder.

"So, Petra," Reiner turned his attention to her and she smiled, "What about you? What's your type?"

"Geez, Reiner..." Auruo muttered disapprovingly into his Jack and Coke.

"What? I'm just trying to get to know our new co-worker, Bossard!" Reiner said defensively, putting on a look of innocence that was almost convincing...almost.

"You'll find out quick that I'm not shy," Petra said firmly, not put off by Reiner's obvious attempt to feel out his chances with her, "My type...let's see...Well, sorry, girls, but I like men. I like a good sense of humor and a charming smile. He has to love his mom, but not so much that he's a momma's boy. He needs to be good with kids. I like tall guys, but not overly tall. I like muscles but not overly muscled. I like shaggy, thick hair and I like pretty eyes, no specific color, really, but I'm rather fond of hazel. He's got to be smart and have good common sense. I'd really like a guy who has a good sense of romance but knows how to get a little wild too."

Petra had more on her list but she stopped when she noticed Reiner giving her an odd look and Ymir's eyes kept flicking between her and Auruo who was calmly sipping his drink with a blank expression. Krista giggled.

"What?" Petra asked, "What are you looking at me like that for?"

Auruo blinked and seemed to come back to reality and looked around at everyone to try and figure out what he was missing.

"Just...an interesting list you have there," Ymir commented easily, an odd look in her eyes. The corners of her mouth kept twitching like she wanted to smile.

"Very specific," Reiner said with a hint of annoyance because it didn't get past him that he clearly did not meet a lot of her criteria.

"Hey, Petra, come here!" Hanji's voice called from the bar and interrupted the moment; she motioned for Petra to sit in the now empty seat next to her where Mike had been.

"Excuse me," she got up from the table and gave them all a parting smile before going over to sit with Hanji. She was introduced to Moblit and she learned that the two of them were a couple and that they were having a backyard barbeque party the next week which they invited her to attend at their house. She readily agreed and felt genuinely excited to be welcomed into the "family" so easily and quickly...she loved her job.

"Alright, you lot, get out of my club and go home," Levi's bored tone broke up the chit chat filling the room and a loud chorus of unhappy groans met his words but he ignored them and waved his hand dismissively, "I can't go home until you all do and I don't have the patience to sit here all night and listen to you all flap your jaws. You wanna hang out, do it somewhere else."

Everyone groaned but they began rising from their seats and handing their empty glasses to Eld who piled them up to be washed at the beginning of his shift on Monday night. Petra slid off her barstool and turned to find Auruo standing next to her with a slightly nervous look on his face.

"Hey...uh..." he scratched lightly behind his ear at his hairline, a nervous tic no doubt, "If you're not ready to go home...um...you want to go to the diner down the street with Eren, Eld, Gunther and I?"

Petra immediately beamed at him and he looked a bit surprised at her enthusiasm...she guessed her previous disapproval of him had been more noticeable then she thought.

"I'd love to," she said eagerly, "You want to ride there with me?"

"We can walk," Auruo informed her, "It's only a block away."

"Ok, sure," Petra agreed and the two of them walked out of the club onto the sidewalk, Auruo jerked his head to the right and she followed him. "You know, for being only my second night working here, I feel like I belong."

"Of course you do," Auruo agreed, but he hung his head slightly, "Hey, sorry if I made you uncomfortable your first night. I was kind of an ass, I guess."

"You really were," Petra agreed, "Number one, don't call me 'broad'. Number two, you need to stop looking so superior all the time. Number three, if you're trying to be nice and helpful you should probably not throw out insults about the person you're assisting."

Auruo's mouth twitched into a sad half-smile and he looked at her apologetically.

"I do not look superior all the time," he argued despite his apology.

"You do! You're always so smug and you have that look like there's an unpleasant smell under your nose," Petra corrected him.

The area between Auruo's eyebrows bunched up and he frowned.

"I don't mean to," he told her honestly, "I mean, I AM pretty awesome..."

Petra groaned but couldn't help the laugh that escaped her at his ridiculousness. He was funny, she decided, and he seemed to enjoy her company so she let go of her past impression of him and considered him closely as they walked. There was something about him that she found herself drawn to and she tried to figure it out, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

When they reached the diner, Auruo opened the door for her and led her to a booth to the left that was tucked in the back corner. They sat across from eachother and ordered coffees as they waited for the others to show up.

"Hey, losers!" Eren's voice seemed overly loud in the relative silence of the diner and the lone waitress gave him an look of slight annoyance as she came to get the three newcomers their drinks.

Eld slid into the booth beside Petra and threw an arm behind her back with a grin. She liked Eld a lot, Petra decided, he was easy to talk to and he was very open and friendly.

"So, how did your second night go?" he asked her brightly, "It was pretty busy, huh?"

"Yeah, and there sure were some interesting people there too," Petra agreed, "But, yeah, I think I did ok for my first time working alone."

"Did Annie tell you about the ass snorting coke in the bathroom?" Gunther asked grimly as he sat down next to Auruo and Eren pulled a chair up to the end of the booth and spun it around to sit with his arms crossed across the back of it as he straddled it.

"No way?" Eren asked, looking shocked.

"Yeah, Annie said Marco found him," Petra giggled.

"Poor bastard," Eren laughed, "I can just imagine him stuttering and backing out of there as he has an inner freak out."

The four of them sat there and chatted for about an hour, munching on greasy fries and sipping coffee. Eren and Auruo went back and forth with eachother, cracking jokes and pumping up their own egos with tales of their awesomeness. Eld was all smiles and happy comments. Gunther was calm and spoke sparingly, preferring to add his two cents with expressions and laughter instead of words. Petra loved sitting here with them all, listening to their banter and flowing right along with them as she added little bits of snark. She felt at ease with them all and found herself hoping this would become a common event, sitting at this diner with these four new friends.

"You guys going to the barbeque at Hanji and Moblit's?" Eld asked a while later as they all started to stand up to leave.

"Yes," Petra replied excitedly, "I'm really looking forward to it!"

"Naw," Auruo muttered into his coffee cup as he finished it off, "Working."

Petra looked at him in surprise.

"But it's in the afternoon," she reminded him, "It'll be over before work."

Auruo gave her a rueful look.

"Some of us don't have daddy's money to fall back on," he said simply, "Some of us have to make our own way. See you all Monday night."

Petra stared at his retreating back in disbelief as he left with Eren and Eld, stunned by his sudden rudeness. It wasn't untrue, though...Petra _did_ rely on her father's support currently, this job was her first step in staring her own life outside of her father's house and making her own way. But it still hurt to know this was what he thought of her, that she was some lazy girl with no life of her own.

"Don't take that seriously, Petra," Gunther's deep voice from behind her made her jolt back to reality and she turned to look at him.

"I...just...he can sure change his tune in a split second," she told him, "I mean, he was just laughing and teasing and opening doors for me but then he's suddenly all mean and thoughtless and doesn't even say goodbye?"

"He's a bit rough around the edges, huh?" Gunther agreed, but his eyes held no sign of disapproval, "But...Petra, don't let him get to you. You have to look past his stupid mouth and hear what he's really saying."

"Oh, yeah? And what would that be?" Petra challenged.

Gunther cocked his head and considered her for a moment.

"Auruo may act like a jackass, Petra, but he's not," he finally said, sounding a bit hesitant, "It's...not my place to tell you all this but I think you're on the brink of deciding whether or not you want to know him or not, and I can tell you that you do."

"Well he's making it difficult," Petra complained, "He's like a chameleon, never the same."

"It's kind of a self-defense mechanism of his," Gunther explained, "That comment he made, that's his way of deflecting your interest in his work schedule."

"Why would he care about that?"

"Because...he's actually a very humble guy. That's a shock, right?" Gunther laughed, "But it's the truth. Petra, Auruo doesn't just work at the club...he has two other full time jobs that he works at every day in the mornings and afternoons before the club opens."

Petra's jaw dropped. _Three full time jobs?_

"What? Why?" she asked.

"Because, he has other people to think about besides himself," Gunther explained, "He helps support his parents and his siblings with his wages. He has five little brothers and his mom is too busy raising them to work and his dad barely makes enough to provide the basics. Auruo grew up very poor and so he does his best to make sure his brothers never want for anything."

Petra's heart squeezed uncomfortably. Oh, god, that was incredible.

"He...he works three jobs to help out his family?" she whispered in awe, "That's why he's always cutting it close to get to work at night?"

"Yeah," Gunther nodded, "He works on a construction crew Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Tuesdays and Thursdays he works at the library."

"THE LIBRARY?" Petra got a ridiculous image of Auruo sitting behind the librarian desk with horn rimmed glasses, shushing loud patrons and glaring at couples making out in between the shelves.

"Yeah, he organizes and cleans and stuff," Gunther replied, "And he's in charge of reading to the little kids."

 _Oh. That's...precious._

"Don't tell him I told you all this, ok?" Gunther suddenly looked embarrassed and ashamed of this information dump, "It's just...he'd never own up to it and you needed to know so you don't think he's a total jerk."

"I promise I won't tell him," Petra offered her hand in good faith and Gunther shook it, looking relieved, "Thank you for being honest with me. I admit, I was starting to give up trying to understand him."

"He's worth getting to know better," Gunther assured her, "I think you'll find that out yourself as time goes on. Come on, I'll walk you to your car."

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When Petra arrived back at her apartment, she immediately began to strip herself of her uniform and she realized she'd forgotten to return Auruo's cravat to him at the end of the night. She eyed the material in her hand and smiled, it had been very nice of him to lend it to her. Petra laid her uniform out to wash and dry the next day and went to take a shower in scalding hot water and then pulled on her flannel pink cartoon sheep printed pajama pants and an oversized green hoodie, the sleeves so long that they covered most of her hands so only her fingertips peeked out of the ends. This was her own personal heaven.

She was a night owl and, even though it was nearly two thirty in the morning, she was still not ready to go to sleep. Her mind was filled with images of Auruo surrounded by little kids as he read out loud to them, his voice changing for every character as the kids leaned forward with wide, interested eyes. She pictured what his five brothers must look like and imagined how much of a saint his mother must be to take care of them all without going insane. She imagined how he must look as he worked on the construction crew, sweating in the hot sun as he worked hard in his canvas work pants, sturdy boots, orange vest and hardhat. She should have had other things on her mind, what with a new job and her plans to find an apartment uptown, but it just kept going back to Auruo.

"Girl, get your head on straight," she mumbled to herself. A loud meow made her look down at her feet with a smile, two green eyes looked up at her from a pure black face. "Hey, Marty. You hungry?"

Marty meowed in affirmation and jumped up on the counter to rub her face against her human's chin, making Petra giggle as she reached for the cans of cat food in the cupboard. Marty let out a chirp and jumped down to stand by her bowl, turning in circles of excitement as Petra approached and leaned down to dump the food in.

Once Marty was satisfactorily munching on her late dinner, Petra wandered to her bedroom and collapsed among her many pillows, tucking them here and there and everywhere to create a perfect nest to settle in while she watched some TV. She flipped through the channels and settled on a documentary about the Parisian catacombs, but it was dull and exhaustion swept over her suddenly and she slowly fell asleep with French interviews in her ears...her mind filled with visions of Auruo whispering to her in perfect French as he laid next to her with a soft expression on his face. She vaguely thought it was a ridiculous and uncalled for image before she was out completely.

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 **In case anyone is wondering, here's how the band is split**

 **Ymir- Saxophone**

 **Armin- Clarinet/Accordion**

 **Reiner- Drums**

 **Bertholdt- Upright bass**

 **Moblit- Trumpet**

 **Hitch- Piano**

 **Mike- Trombone**

 **Marlow- Alternates instrument depending on the needs of the song. Mostly saxophone, violin or guitar**

 **And now I am going to take a nap because I am exhausted and I'm sure the emergency calls will be coming in soon. One usually always happens around 2 pm and then definitely a transfer at 10 PM...and who knows when else, probably at like 2 AM or 3. That's how all my shifts have been lately...**


	6. Chapter 6

**Sitting here thinking about how much I want to cosplay as Sasha Braus for Comic Con sometime in the nearish future...and the fact that I need to lose a butt ton of weight to do it. This thought has made me motivated enough to get to the gym nearly every day lately...and it's working!**

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Petra didn't wake up until noon the next day, feeling groggy and unsteady as she tossed the blankets and pillows off of her with a sigh. Marty hopped up on the bed with her and meowed with delight at seeing her human waking up, she brushed her tail under Petra's nose which resulted in a massive sneeze.

"Ugh, Marty, keep your tail to yourself, please," Petra mumbled as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes. She slid out of the side of the bed and stretched her arm over her head, bending her back until she heard a few satisfying pops down her spine. She turned back around and pulled the covers back into place, piling the pillows up at the head to make it look somewhat decently made.

Marty led the way to the bathroom with her tail held high and Petra smiled as the black cat perched on the edge of the tub while she let the water run, one small paw would shoot out to interrupt the stream of water occasionally and then the cat would lick the droplets off her fur, purring all the while.

"Ok, you, get out of the way," Petra moved the cat and stepped into the tub, pushing the tab down to divert the water flow to the shower head. She let out a long sigh as the hot water flowed over her skin, washing away the previous night's grime from work, normally she showered at night but her mind had been too preoccupied the night before and, frankly, she'd just felt too lazy.

When her shower ended, she brushed her teeth and then headed out to the kitchen for her breakfast. Marty, of course, was fed first and she nibbled her kitty kibble happily as Petra scoured the cupboards for some semblance of nutrition. She settled on a box of Cheerios and inwardly reminded herself that today she needed to go shopping...

 _BEE DOOP!_

Petra jumped in surprise at the sound of her phone's text message alert and she knocked it off the table in her haste to grab it.

"Damn it," she groaned as she leaned over on her chair to reach the fallen phone, this turned out to be a mistake because she leaned too far and her chair toppled over, sending her sprawling gracelessly onto the linoleum. She had feeling today was going to be one of those days she should never have gotten out from under the covers...

 _ **11:20 AM: Hey, Petra, this is Auruo. Got your number from Eld...not creepy at all...**_

 _ **11:20 A: I just wanted to tell you sorry for being an ass to you last night.**_

 _ **12:20 PM: Shit...you're pissed. Or maybe you're just still sleeping.**_

Petra scanned the messages and then rolled her eyes and replied:

 _12:22 PM: I'm not pissed. I was in the shower if you must know._

Sighing, she picked herself up off her kitchen floor and went back to eating her cereal. She would never admit it out loud but she watched the phone out of the corner of her eye, eagerly awaiting a reply. It came a few minutes later and she snatched the phone up so fast that it made Marty jump in surprise by her food bowl.

 _ **12:25 PM: Thanks for that mental image. Let me go bleach my eyes real quick.**_

What a jerk! Petra snarled at the screen and began furiously typing.

 _12:25 PM: What's the matter? Walk past a mirror and got a good look?_

 _ **12:26 PM: Touché...**_

 _ **12:26 PM: But, seriously, I'm sorry for being a jerk last night.**_

Petra smiled a bit, glad she'd managed to get the upper hand on the snark that time. Score one for Petra Ral. She victoriously took a bite of her cereal and chewed for a while to let him sweat a little before she replied.

 _12:29 PM: Apology accepted. I'm sure you had a reason for being such a jerk?_

 _ **12:30 PM: Yeah, but it really isn't much of an excuse.**_

 _ **12:30 PM: So, what are you up to?**_

 _12:31 PM: Eating breakfast with my cat._

 _ **12:31 PM: You would have a cat...**_

 _12:32 PM: And what does THAT mean?_

 _ **12:32 PM: Petra Ral is a certified crazy cat lady.**_

 _ **12:32 PM: Dogs are better.**_

 _12:33 PM: Matter of opinion. I guess if you like being jumped on and having your face licked and being humped on the leg..._

 _ **12:34 PM: Don't get me excited, Petra ;)**_

 _ **12:34 PM: That was sarcasm ^^**_

 _ **12:35 PM: Cats are standoffish and hateful, dogs love you no matter what.**_

 _12:37 PM: I knew it...you have a leg humping fetish. And you must have not known any awesome cats if you believe that crap._

 _ **12:38 PM: Face licking fetish, actually. And, to be honest, I've never had a cat. My dog wasn't in the plans either, I found her in a dumpster.**_

 _12:42 PM: A DUMPSTER? That's terrible :(_

 _ **12:43 PM: Yeah...I would never have chosen a dog like this on my own.**_

The next message to pop up was a picture of a small dog with mop-like tan and black smudged fur and a smashed in face and big bug eyes, the bottom jaw jutted forward in an under bite.

 _ **12:44 PM: Ugly as sin, huh?**_

 _12:45 PM: No, she's darling! Ha ha ha, now I have this image of you walking that down the street...you two make a good couple._

 _ **12:46 PM: You're vicious today...**_

Petra bit her bottom lip, a goofy smile had spread across her face during the conversation and she was trying not to laugh. She scanned through her collection of pictures of Marty and chose one to send: sitting on her haunches, her paws raised skyward in an effort to snag the ribbons dangling overhead, large green eyes wide open in murderous excitement. Petra hit send.

 _12:52 PM: This is my cat, Marty._

 _ **12:54 PM: Looks mean.**_

 _12: 54 PM: Only if you're a ribbon or a squeaky mouse toy._

 _ **12:55 PM: He's pretty cute, I guess.**_

 _12:55 PM: SHE is._

 _ **12:56 PM: What kind of a girl's name is Marty?**_

 _12:56 PM: A gender neutral one. What's your dog's name?_

 _ **12:57 PM: My brother named her Bridgette...but I call her Idjit because she's really dumb. She runs into everything with her face.**_

 _12:57 PM: Why am I not surprised?_

 _ **12:59 PM: What's THAT supposed to mean?**_

Petra giggled out loud and decided to let him stew in that for a little bit while she took her cereal bowl to the sink to wash it. She heard the furious buzzing of her phone on the wooden surface of her table but she ignored it and washed her bowl and all the other dishes in the sink while she was at it. Finally, she dried her hands and walked back over to the table, picked up her phone and walked casually into her living room, spent at least five minutes choosing a show on TV to watch and then laid back on her couch before checking the messages again.

 _ **1:02 PM: Are you making fun of my dog or me?**_

 _ **1:04 PM: Earth to Petra Ral?**_

 _ **1:07 PM: Didn't want to talk to you anyway, I guess.**_

 _1:20 PM: Relax, I was making fun of the dog's name._

The minutes ticked by and there was no reply, her phone remained annoyingly still. Petra found herself becoming bored very fast...she hadn't wanted to end the conversation, she was having too much fun with him!

 _1:25 PM: Hey, are you there?_

 _1:27 PM: Auruo? Earth to Auruo Bossard?_

 _1:30 PM: Come on, don't be a whiney baby._

 _1:35 PM: Are you alive?_

Finally the long awaited buzz made her jump and fumble with her phone as she tried to open the message as quickly as possible.

 _ **1:38 PM: Geez, nag. Calm your tits. I had to take Idjit out to take a shit.**_

Petra laughed out loud at the vulgar, yet somehow endearing, message and covered her mouth with her hand to reduce it to a mere giggle.

 _1:39 PM: My tits are perfectly calm, thank you. They always are._

 _ **1:40 PM: You say that like it's a good thing.**_

 _1:41 PM: Isn't it?_

Another few moments of waiting, a sure sign of him hesitating on the other end.

 _ **1:45 PM: Hey, if you're not too busy being an insufferable nag, would you like to go get coffee?**_

Whatever reply she'd been expecting, this was not it. She read the message a few times over to make sure she'd gotten it correct in her head.

 _ **1:46 PM: You don't have to if you don't want to. I just figured I'd ask.**_

 _1:47 PM: No, I'd love to._

Wait...she hadn't typed that, had she? She didn't remember her fingers even moving! Damn it, her subconscious had made the decision for her. There was nothing for it now, she couldn't just take it back.

 _1:47 PM: Where should I meet you?_

 _ **1:49 PM: Same place as last night?**_

 _1:50 PM: Sure, I'll get myself presentable and see you there._

 _ **1:51 PM: See ya there.**_

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Petra parked her car at the club's parking and walked to the diner as she had the night before happy to be outside in the sunshine after sleeping half the day away. When she entered the diner, Auruo waved at her from the booth they'd all been at the night before. Smiling, Petra made her way around the tables to him.

To her utter surprise, as she approached the vicinity of the booth, Auruo stood up and grinned at her. Petra hesitated a moment, not sure why he'd stood but he made no move to leave or sit back down so she slid into the opposite side of the booth and scanned him up and down for a second. He looked so different out of his suit, long legs clad in blue jeans that clung quite nicely to his hips, broad shoulders and thin waist under a simple tan colored t-shirt with an image of a blue and white crossed wings on it, instead of his dress shoes he wore black and white Chuck Ts...and all this seemed perfect for him. She wasn't sure if she preferred him like this or in his suit at the club.

 _Why does it even matter which way I prefer?_

Auruo slid back into his side of the booth almost as soon as Petra was settled and she smiled at him.

"You come here often?" she asked, not trying to make a reference, just honestly wanting to know.

"Yeah, I guess," he admitted with a shrug, "I don't know why, I just really like it here."

Petra looked around the place and she had to agree. The natural light from the many windows combined with the white counters and tabletops and the black and white checkered floor made for a bright and clean looking environment and the waitresses were chatty and kind and good at their jobs.

"How ya doin' today, sugar?" a young, long haired, blonde waitress with a thick, and possibly fake, southern accent came to their table and laid down menus in front of them both, "Whose ya new lady?"

 _NEW lady?_

"This is Petra, she just got hired at the club," Auruo answered without missing a beat or being at all effected by the question, "Petra, this is April."

"Well, nice to meet ya, Petra," April didn't sound like it was nice at all...and Petra immediately withdrew her previous thought about the waitresses being good at their jobs...

"And you, April," Petra really tried hard to sound genuine and she must have pulled it off because April didn't look like she hated her _completely_.

"What can I get you all?" April addressed Auruo only then, turning her back to Petra slightly.

"Uh...just coffee for me," Auruo gave April and odd look.

"Of course, darlin'!" April's voice had gotten about an octave higher and she laid her hand on Auruo's arm for a moment as she took back his menu. "And you?"

"Um...can I get the triple stack of pancakes with peach syrup?" Petra asked calmly, trying not to giggle at the obvious attempt at flirting going on across the table, "And a coffee as well?"

"Sure," April snatched Petra's menu and walked off towards the kitchen, blonde curls bouncing and wide hips popping side to side as she went.

"Looks like someone's got an admirer," Petra whispered in a teasing tone, poking Auruo in the wrist across the table.

"What? Don't be stupid," Auruo let out a mirthless laugh and shook his head, making his shaggy hair flutter adorably over his forehead. "April's an airhead, she talks like that to everyone."

"Does she touch everyone like that too?" Petra asked, giving him a knowing look.

"Probably!" Auruo squeaked, looking uncomfortable with the conversation, "Look, girls like that...they don't go for guys like me."

Petra was taken aback by that statement. Auruo Bossard never struck her as the humble and self-depreciating type...he always seemed so full of himself and confident.

"What do you mean? What's wrong with you?" she asked quickly.

Auruo just cocked his head and gave her a look that clearly said "please don't patronize me".

Before Petra could open her mouth to tell him she was truly confused as to why he thought April wouldn't be interested in him, said waitress came and set down their coffees. The blonde gave Auruo a very obvious wink before going to the next booth and asking them if they needed anything in a sickeningly sweet voice.

"See?" Petra whispered urgently, "She just winked at you. In girl-speak that means 'Hey, I'm into you, notice me!'."

"Can we go back to talking about stupid dogs and mean cats?" Auruo rolled his eyes and shook out a sugar packet for his coffee.

"But..."

"She just winked at that guy over there too," Auruo cut her off and nodded towards a very rotund, half bald man, "And if she's into every guy she winks at, I'd rather not be a member of that particular threesome."

Petra had just taken a sip of her coffee and his brazen statement made her snort hot liquid up into her nose.

"Ow, you idiot," she moaned, clutching at her nose with a napkin to catch the brown liquid that was now dripping out both nostrils.

Auruo just grinned and handed her another napkin. At that moment, April made her reappearance with a plate of pancakes.

"Oh, honey, you alright?" she asked in her annoying voice, "You really should be more careful."

"Thanks, I will," Petra said sarcastically, but she _was_ very glad to see the pile of pancakes so she managed to form a genuine smile and thank April.

"You're really gonna eat all of that?" Auruo cocked an eyebrow at her, an incredulous look on his face.

"Probably not," Petra admitted, "You're more than welcome to share with me."

She was surprised when he didn't argue or make a snarky remark, he just unwrapped a fork from the napkin rolls and smiled at her before cutting a huge slice off the top pancake and shoving it into his mouth. His eyes dropped closed as he chewed and he let out a happy little sigh.

"These are so good!" he said around the half chewed food.

"Gross, stop it," Petra scrunched her nose in disgust, "Didn't your mother ever teach you not to speak with your mouth full?"

"My mother taught me lots of things," Auruo said after he'd swallowed that bite, "How to talk, how to walk, how to use the toilet..."

"You're so gross, Auruo," Petra giggled.

"How to speak French, how to sing, how to dance..."

"Dance?!" Petra was interested now and she perked up in her seat, "What kind of dancing?"

Auruo immediately shoved another forkful of pancake in his mouth and pointed at his overdramatically chewing jaw it to let her know he couldn't speak with his mouth full. Petra waited patiently as he dragged out his chewing for as long as possible, until he finally had to swallow. He sighed heavily seeing that she was still waiting for an answer.

"Lots of kinds," he admitted, "Mostly swing, waltzing, some ballroom...the Tango."

 _Oh...the Tango...that's...a really intimate dance..._

"Cool," Petra played it off like it was no big deal, "You should show me sometime at the club. I bet Nanaba would dance with you."

Auruo gave her an odd look and he held eye contact with her for an almost uncomfortable amount of time before he looked down at his hands which he'd wrapped around his coffee cup.

"I...could teach you if you want," he said softly, so softly that Petra had to lean forward to hear.

"Would you really?" Excitement flooded her at his offer, she had always wanted to learn to dance!

"Sure," Auruo shrugged, "No big deal."

"I'd really like that, Auruo," Petra said sweetly, sipping her coffee calmly. Inside, however, Petra's stomach was in nervous knots. The idea of dancing with Auruo Bossard was doing something weird to her belly and the rhythm of her heart...

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The two of them polished off the pancakes and talked their way through two more refills of coffee before Petra sadly announced that she had to go grocery shopping due to her barren cupboards. Auruo insisted on paying for everything and Petra felt bad for ordering pancakes since she knew how much he worked and where the majority of the money went to, so she absolutely insisted on getting the tip at least and he finally agreed, albeit very grudgingly.

"Did you drive here?" Petra asked as they stepped outside.

"Naw, took the subway," Auruo said nonchalantly.

"Would you like me to give you a ride home?"

Auruo gave her a look and Petra didn't quite understand what it meant, it was like...he _wanted_ to say yes but something deeper was holding him back.

"No thanks, you need to go get yourself some food," he reminded her of her planned shopping trip, "You must be half starved the way you wolfed down those pancakes."

"I didn't _"wolf"_ them down, you cretin," Petra put her hands on her hips and stuck her nose in the air, feigning insult.

Auruo just laughed and waved to her as he turned and headed towards the nearest subway stop.

"See ya at work, Petra," he called over his shoulder. Petra watched him go and growled in the back of her throat...what she was planning might be considered stalkerish, but she was far too curious to care. She waited until he turned and disappeared down the subway steps and then she followed after him.

She kept her distance very carefully, thankful that she'd worn neutral colors and blue jeans so she wasn't bound to stand out. She watched him from afar as he stood at the platform and waited for his train, he rocked back and forth on his heels at one point and she smiled at his childish impatience. When the train arrived, she got on at the opposite end of the car and sat in the corner seat, leaning over slightly to see around the fat guy who sat next to her so she could keep an eye on him. The train lurched forward in its normal nauseating fashion and she recalled the years she'd spent commuting to college this way...she was glad to have a car of her own.

Not long into the ride, and it promised to be a long one from the way Auruo settled into his seat and stuck some earbuds into his phone. He chose a song and leaned back with his eyes closed for moment then he looked down at his phone again and his hands took a texting position. Petra's sixth sense told her to quickly silence her phone and she was glad she did when she saw the text pop up on her screen.

 _Whew, good save, Petra! That could have been really embarrassing._

 _ **3:55 PM: I'm going to be dreaming of those pancakes all day. Thanks for not making me go get coffee alone.**_

Petra hesitated long enough to not be obvious and then formulated her response.

 _3:58 PM: They were pretty delicious, weren't they? And no problem, I really was just sitting alone at home with my cat watching Ghost Adventures._

 _ **3:59 PM: Ghost Adventures, huh? One of those lame ghost hunter shows?**_

 _4:01 PM: It's NOT lame! Their evidence is incredible!_

 _ **4:01 PM: Are you texting and driving, you little shit?!**_

Oh...she hadn't thought about that. Quickly, she came up with a logical excuse.

 _4:03 PM: I'm at the grocery store, you numbskull. Remember, that's why I had to leave?_

 _ **4:04 PM: Oh yeah. Forgot, sorry. So how's the scavenging going?**_

 _4:04 PM: Scavenging?_

 _ **4:04 PM: Shopping. *eye roll***_

And he truly did roll his eyes, she noticed from down the row.

 _4:05 PM: Just fine, thanks. So you're gonna teach me to dance?_

Petra smiled as she watched his hands hesitate over the screen of his phone for a while until he finally nodded to himself and began typing.

 _ **4:08 PM: If you want me to, sure.**_

 _4:09 PM: I really would like to learn. I always wanted to but my dad sucked at it and I was too busy trying to make good grades and be the star of my volleyball team and everything my dad deemed important at the time to take lessons..._

She watched him scan the message with a furrowed brow and a look of annoyance.

 _ **4:10 PM: Your dad sounds like a real winner.**_

 _4:11 PM: He means well but sometimes he takes what he wants into consideration more than what I want._

 _ **4:12 PM: We all tend to do that sometimes...**_

Something about that statement changed his entire demeanor and Petra watched as he sat back with a sigh and closed his eyes again, ignoring her simple reply of _"Yeah"_ on his phone. Petra put her phone away and watched his for the duration of the ride.

She hadn't been paying attention to where they'd been riding to until the overhead announcer called out the next stop: "Shinganshina Avenue". Auruo's eyes opened and he stood up and faced the door.

Petra suddenly felt a little nervous...Shinganshina Avenue was a notorious area of the city, known for its slums and gang violence, it was very underprivileged area indeed and she felt very out of place as she followed Auruo out onto the platform and immediately hid behind the directory sign since hardly anyone else got off at this stop. She waited until he was up the steps before following him out onto the street.

Immediately, she wanted to get right back on the train...the sidewalks were littered in unsavory-type people, and she was afraid. Stories of this neighborhood reached her uptown area all the time, tales of murder and rape and drive by shootings. She had a mad urge to run to Auruo and beg for his protection but she pushed all this down inside and tried to act completely at ease and full of confidence to avoid looking out of place. Auruo, she noticed, walked along with ease and seemed to know pretty much everyone he passed by, calling out greetings to most and waving at others...he was in his element.

Soon, he took a left turn and plodded up the front steps of a less than desirable looking brick apartment building and disappeared inside. Petra stood back a bit and looked around at the area...and she realized then why he always turned down her offers to drive him home: he didn't want her to know where he lived.

Petra didn't need to see anymore to get the gyst so she made her way back to the subway as quick as she could and rode it back to the stop near the diner. As she walked to her car she felt a twinge of pity for her friend...was he so afraid of her judgment of him that he had to lie to her face like he did? Was he really so ashamed of his situation?

She would give him his space, she decided. He seemed less than inclined to reveal his true self to her for now...and she couldn't blame him, really, they had only met three days ago after all.

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 **This was way fun to write! Modern AUs are lots of fun :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**I just turned 26 muddafuckahs! Oh my gosh, I am getting really old...**

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Petra did indeed go shopping after her little stalker detour and she was delicately balancing the brown paper grocery bags on her hips as she attempted to unlock her apartment door when her phone buzzed in her pocket. She began to think she had a sixth sense because she absolutely knew who the text was from...

She finally managed to bump the door open with her hip and she bumbled inside, kicking the door shut behind her before she gracelessly slammed her grocery bags down on the desk just to the right of the door, her catch-all surface. She hung her keys on the hook above the desk and then picked her bags back up to move to the kitchen and put it all away. Only when her bags were empty and everything was put in its proper home did she allow herself to glance at her phone.

 _ **7:10 PM: Hey, did you get home safe?**_

Shit. Shit. Shit. Had he seen her following him after all? She _knew_ she shouldn't have been such a creeper! God, he must think she's a freak!

 _7:11 PM: Yes, I did. Just got done putting the results of my "scavenging" away. Did you get home safe?_

She waited anxiously for his reply...surely he would tell her she was weird and creepy and never to speak to him again.

 _ **7:13 PM: Yes, mother, I'm a big boy now.**_

 _7:13 PM: Is your default setting "asshole"?_

 _ **7:14 PM: Yes. Let me guess, yours is "Nag"?**_

 _7:15 PM: Correct._

There was a few minutes of no replies and Petra took that time to put a cup of water in the microwave to make tea. She took the hot mug into her living room and looked out the window at the last few streaks of color from the already sunken sun. Darkness was settling on the city and it looked like a sea of lights in the dusk. Soon the air would be turning cool, leaves would begin to change colors and paint the parks and trees lining the sidewalks beautiful hues of oranges and yellows and reds and browns...Autumn was just around the bend.

Sighing, Petra sat on her couch and waited for her phone to buzz. Finally, it did.

 _ **7:21 PM: Were you worried about me?**_

 _7:21 PM: What?_

 _ **7:22 PM: You wanted to know if I got home safe.**_

 _7:23 PM: I was just being courteous. You asked me so I asked you too._

 _ **7:23 PM: Aw, so you don't really care? :(**_

She could almost imagine the sad frown on his actual face and she giggled as she typed her reply.

 _7:24 PM: Do you want me to care?_

The silence and inactivity stretched on for a long time and Petra felt a nervous clench in her gut. _Why am I feeling so nervous? Is he going to say yes or no? Do I WANT him to say yes?_

 _ **7:28 PM: I guess you don't really know me too well so you have no reason to.**_

He was right, of course...how long had they known eachother? Three days? But...it felt like so much longer, like she'd always known him.

 _7:30 PM: Well, I guess I care a bit because of you weren't around Levi would have to hire someone new and I'd have to get to know them all over again. And, knowing my luck, he'd be a bigger pain in the butt than you!_

 _ **7:32 PM: Aw, nag...you DO care :)**_

 _7:33 PM: Don't get all teary eyed and sentimental about it._

Petra couldn't help the smile that came over her face...talk to him was so easy, flowed so naturally, like they'd been best friends since childhood. She thought back to when she was introduced to him at the club and how she'd thought him to be rude and unpleasant, and she felt a bit of guilt for judging him so harshly.

 _ **7:36 PM: *sniffle* I'll try not to.**_

 _7:38 PM: Hey, thanks for inviting me to have coffee with you. It was promising to be a pretty dull afternoon and you rescued me from cleaning my apartment._

 _ **7:39: PM: Glad to have been of assistance in aiding your lazy tendencies.**_

 _7:41 PM: I am not lazy, you jerk! I may not work three jobs like you, but I'm not lazy._

The moment after she sent the message her throat clamped tight with anxiety...oh crap, she let it slip that knew about his secret! Gunther was going to pound her into the floor of the club for that! The silence dragged on for a long time and she wanted to jump out the window from the pure embarrassment of her slip up. Finally, the buzz of her phone sounded in her ears...too loud, it seemed.

 _ **7:47 PM: So...who told you that?**_

 _7:48 PM: It doesn't matter who, does it?_

 _ **7:48 PM: It does because I need the name of who I'm going to murder.**_

 _7:49 PM: Are you ashamed of being a hard worker?_

 _ **7:50 PM: Depends on what else they told you?**_

 _7:51 PM: I was just told you can't go to the barbeque because you have to work one of your other jobs._

 _ **7:52 PM: I doubt that's all they told you.**_

Petra sighed and bit her bottom lip, debating whether or not to tell him the truth. Would he be mad? Would he refuse to speak with her anymore? Would this smash their tiny budding friendship? Or was the truth the right option?

 _7:56 PM: Ok...Auruo, I'm going to be 100% honest with you because I want you to know you can trust me. Gunther told me last night at the diner. He told me you work construction three days a week and at a library on two other days as well as the club at night. He also told me why. That you give the money to your family._

Petra expected a long silence and an equally long message in reply or no reply at all, but that's not what happened.

 _ **8:00 PM: Would you like to go get coffee again? Right now? I'd rather explain this in person.**_

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Petra was nervous as all get out when she pulled into the parking lot of the club, the chill of the coming autumn was staring to show in the night air but that wasn't the reason for the goose bumps on her arms at all. She exhaled through pursed lips as she started walking towards the diner and tried to calm her nerves...after all, it was just coffee and a chat with her co-worker, right? Nothing to be nervous about. So why did this feel like something very serious?

When she reached the diner, Auruo was nowhere to be seen so she headed to the booth they'd shared that morning and slid into the seat to wait for him. A hefty blonde waitress came to take her order and she ordered two coffees, setting one across from her for Auruo when he arrived.

A few minutes later the bell above the diner door jingled and she looked up to find Auruo walking towards her with an unfamiliar look on his face. Gone was his smug grin and the playful glint in his eyes; they had been replaced with a straight line of his lips and a dull look in his hazel depths.

"Hey," he said quietly as he slipped into his seat, "Hope it's not too late for you to be out and about."

"I'm a night owl," Petra admitted honestly, "I'm always up pretty late. Eight thirty is nothing. So...you wanted to talk to me."

"I really _don't_ want to talk about it," Auruo grumbled unhappily, dumping his usual single packet of sugar in his coffee, "But you need to understand why I'm doing this so you don't get some damn unrealistic opinion of me, like I'm some fuckin' saint."

"I don't think you're a saint, Auruo, no worries there." It was a sad attempt to bring some humor into the tense situation but it only resulted in Auruo giving her a very unimpressed look from under his eyelashes. "I'm sorry. Look, you _don't_ have to tell me anything. You aren't obligated to tell me your life story, you know?"

"Are you going to listen or not?" Auruo's voice was completely flat and Petra immediately clamped her jaw closed, nodding for him to continue. "Ok, yeah, I work three jobs and I give the money to my parents and my brothers. Right, I'm a great guy...but let me tell you WHY I do it."

Petra leaned forward onto the table, resting her arms on the surface and giving him her full attention. Auruo crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back against his seat and looked over to the side at the squares of the tile floor.

"When I turned eighteen my parents spent every last cent they had in their savings account to send me to college, to a GOOD college. I was supposed to make something of myself and get out of this city to somewhere I could have the life they didn't get the chance to have. I majored in law...I was supposed to study hard, pass the BAR, make good money..."

His voice was shaking from the venom in his tone, he was scowling angrily and he stopped speaking for a moment to gather himself together again, taking a deep breath before continuing.

"But you know what I did?" he raised his eyes from the floor and looked at her questioningly, "I partied. I got into the wrong crowd, never went to class, spent every penny I had on alcohol and stupid shit and never studied. I failed my classes...dropped out after midterms. Didn't even make it a full year."

 _Oh._ Petra studied his face and her brows scrunched in a pitying expression. She just couldn't picture him, as responsible and serious about work as he was, drinking and partying and acting like an idiot.

"So...my parents lost every dollar they ever saved because of me. They wasted their hopes and dreams for a son who wasn't a worthless piece of shit on me," Auruo continued .

"Auruo..."

"So yeah, I work three jobs and I pay them every cent from one job to pay on the debt I owe them for that sacrifice, the other job I split between five college funds so my brothers can hope to have the chance I managed to blow," Auruo didn't let her speak, "And whatever I make at the club is the life I can afford for myself...and that's more than I even deserve. Levi is too good to me."

He fell silent after that and Petra wanted so badly to go around the table and give him a hug because he very much looked like he needed one after that confession.

"So...that's why I do it," he muttered, his tone grim, "It's not some "perfect son" thing, it's because I couldn't bear to look them in the eyes when I visited them after what I did...this is the only way I can feel remotely welcome with them. I took the chance to better myself and threw it away...a chance that could have been my younger brother's."

"Auruo, sometimes our mistakes make us better than what we ever would have been if we didn't make them," Petra assured him as best she could, reaching out and laying her hand on his forearm. He looked down at her hand and then back up to her with a wary expression, "The fact that you aren't just shrugging it off and letting it slide tell me you're a better person than you give yourself credit for. How many kids out there mooch off their parents and then just forget it because 'parent's are supposed to help their kids out' and such?"

Auruo shrugged and let out a little sigh before he took a sip of coffee and leaned back again.

"I think you learned a lot," Petra continued, "And I think you're a great person."

"You do?" he asked, looking suddenly interested, "But you said you thought I was a jerk."

"That was before I actually got to know you better," Petra corrected him, "I...don't think that anymore."

They sat in silence for a while, sipping their luke-warm coffees and thinking their own thoughts. Petra kept sneaking glances at him whenever he would look down at the cup in hands or look off to observe other customers...she liked how he looked now, vulnerable and brooding, but she was starting to miss his snarky, smug grin.

"Hey, Auruo," she said suddenly, regaining his attention, "Thank you."

"For what?" he cocked an eyebrow slightly in confusion.

"For telling me this," Petra explained, "For being honest and open instead of blowing it off and making a joke out of it."

"I guess I do that a lot, huh?"

"Yes...and I understand why. It's easier, right? It's easier to blow things off and make them into a joke?"

Auruo shrugged and gave her an apologetic half smile.

"But you didn't make a joke out of this," Petra said thoughtfully, "Why?"

Auruo remained silent, he was staring at her incredulously, blinking rapidly and chewing the inside of his cheek. Finally he dropped his eyes to the table.

"Because," he said quietly, "I...didn't want you to get a false impression of me. I wanted you to know the truth."

"Why?"

"Because..." he hesitated for a moment and it was just enough time for the waitress to make her way over and offer to refill their cups. Auruo shook his head. "Not for me, thanks, I'm leaving."

"You are?" Petra asked, giving him a confused look.

"I have to be at work at six in the morning," he informed her, handing the waitress a five dollar bill, "Keep the change. Hey, you want me to walk you to your car?"

Petra nodded dumbly, wondering why he suddenly looked so flustered, and she stood up and followed him as he headed for the door of the diner.

They walked to her car in silence and when they got to it, he opened her door for her and closed it behind her, giving her a wave and walking away quickly, too quickly. Petra watched him go and felt completely and utterly lost...what had just happened?

Sighing, she put her car in gear and cranked up the radio as she pulled out into the street to head home to her apartment.

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"I'm home, Marty," Petra called as she entered her apartment and smiled as her cat poke her head around the bathroom doorway and meowed in greeting. "Hungry, babe?"

The human and her cat headed into the kitchen , Petra filled the cat dish with canned cat food and filled her plate with strawberries then headed for her bedroom to relax in her pillow nest and pajamas. Flicking on the TV set, she found an episode of Ghost Adventures and smiled as she remembered Auruo's comment about it being lame. Thinking of him made her grab her phone...and she started composing a message.

 _10:20 PM: You never answered my question._

She waited expectantly as Zak Baggins dramatically explained their ghost hunting location on TV, she flicked off her lamp and started eating her strawberries. Finally the buzz of her phone made her jump in surprise and he opened the message as quick as she could.

 _ **10:25 PM: Good grief, nag, let it go.**_

 _ **10:26 PM: Sorry...look, I was just talking out my ass.**_

 _ **10:27 PM: It's not important.**_

 _10:28 PM: You sound like you're trying to convince yourself more than me._

 _ **10:30 PM: Geez, Petra...do you have to know everything about me?**_

 _10:32 PM: I just want to know why you thought it was important for you to be honest with me. You didn't HAVE to tell me all that tonight._

 _ **10:33 PM: Honesty between friends is important, right?**_

Petra felt a wave of guilt flow over her...she should be honest with him too, in that case, right? She held her thumbs over her keyboard and hesitated before typing her reply.

 _10:35 PM: In that case...you should know that you're not fooling me anymore about why you never accept my offers to drive you home._

 _ **10:36 PM: What is that supposed to mean?**_

 _10:37 PM: I...followed you home this afternoon._

No reply...Petra felt like she was going to puke from the sudden nervousness that hit her. She had literally just told a guy she'd stalked him. A guy who she suddenly realized she didn't want to think bad of her!

 _ **10:40 PM: I know. I followed you back to the subway to make sure you got back on safe.**_

 _10:41 PM: What? You stalker!_

 _ **10:42 PM: So...now you know, huh? Well, you should know then why I'm not exactly fond of people giving me lifts.**_

 _10:44 PM: You are way too self conscious, Auruo. At least you're paying for your own apartment, my dad pays for mine right now._

 _ **10:45 PM: Don't patronize me.**_

 _ **10:46 PM: Can we talk about something else?**_

 _10:47 PM: Yes, you can answer my question from the diner. Why is it so important for you to be honest with me?_

The longest silence yet. So long that Petra thought maybe he'd fallen asleep during their conversation. She sighed and plugged the phone into her charger and headed for the bathroom to shower before calling it a night. She washed her hair, shaved her legs and underarms, lathered and rinsed and then stood in front of the mirror to brush her hair and teeth. Finally she went back to her bedroom to get some sleep and try to forget about this long and confusing day.

She almost didn't check her phone. She clicked off the lamp and rolled onto her side, closing her eyes...but her mind had other ideas than sleep and she reached out and unlocked her phone; a message waited in her inbox. Just one.

She opened it.

 _ **11:02 PM: Because, Petra...I really like you.**_

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 **Awwwwwwwww, Auruo, you big, loveable teddy bear!**

 **Hope this came out a well as I hoped!**


	8. Chapter 8

**I'm baaaaaack! Spent a few days at my parent's to see my family for my birthday so my writing groove was thrown off a bit, but I'm back to my everyday crap so...**

 **Also, it was suggested I put the song list at the beginning of the chapters for the option of listening along when the song is mentioned so here it is:**

 **1\. Chattanooga Choo Choo- Glenn Miller and His Orchestra**

 **2\. Strangers In The Night- Frank Sinatra**

 **3\. Silk- Rick Braun**

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Petra didn't really know how to respond to the text message the night before...so she didn't. Now, almost a whole day later, she was driving to the club for that evening's work and she was nervous as hell trying to figure out if she was reading too much into his words or if he'd really meant what she thought he'd meant. She parked her car and went inside semi-confidently, knowing he wouldn't show up until the last possible second.

"Hey, Petra!" a chorus of voices echoed her name as she entered and she felt a sense of relief at the sound, she loved it here and Auruo was not going to ruin it for her.

"Hey, you guys," Petra greeted them happily, waving at the band since they were already getting ready on stage. Reiner waved back enthusiastically and jumped off the stage to make his way over to her with an odd look on his face. "Hi, Reiner, what's up?"

"Just getting ready to play for the night, but I wanted to ask you if you'd like to go to Hanji and Moblit's barbeque with me on Wednesday?"

Petra didn't know what she had expected him to say but she wasn't really ready with a reply! She hesitated for a moment and seriously considered it...Reiner _was_ a very handsome man with shoulders that wouldn't quit and beautiful blue eyes...and she was one hundred percent available so...hell, why not?

"You know what? Yeah, I'd love to." She gave the large blonde a smile and he looked like he'd just won a million dollars.

"I TOLD YOU SHE'D GO OUT WITH ME!" he hollered back towards the stage and Ymir rolled her eyes and flipped him off, but she grinned a little bit as the drummer made his way back over to rejoin the band.

What Petra was unaware of was that Auruo had made it work moments before and had heard Reiner's triumphant announcement, but when she turned around and saw him watching her with a very confused expression, she immediately regretted saying yes to Reiner.

 _What? Why? It's not like you owe him anything! He's not your boyfriend, you barely know the guy...you're a single woman who is free to roam as you want!_

So why did it suddenly feel like such a terrible thing to do?

She didn't have time to mull over the situation because Gunther unlocked the front door right then and she had to rush to get back to her desk in time to greet the first customers. Luckily, Auruo's assigned tables were all the way in the back by the bar so she would only see him when she took a customer to his section, Marco was the waiter closest to the doors.

The band was playing away, the familiar tune of "Chattanooga Choo Choo" and several people in the crowd were singing the words along with the band, everything seemed fairly normal with the exception of one waiter...Auruo was off his game tonight, she noticed. He wasn't flowing around the tables as easily as he usually did, his tone was less openly friendly and more professional and curt, his smile didn't quite reach his eyes.

Petra sighed heavily and realized she really needed to talk to him about the text message that hung heavy on both of their minds.

"Hey, Petra, what's up with you and Auruo tonight?" Marco's gentle voice cut into her thoughts and she turned her head quickly to look at him.

"What do you mean?" she asked, she knew her tone sounded evasive but she couldn't help it. How could she explain something she didn't fully understand herself? "I'm just fine. You're right though, Auruo look a bit flustered or something."

"So you've been watching him?" Gunther came up on her other side and she was trapped at her desk between two very nosey men.

"God, what is this, the Spanish Inquisition?" Petra squeaked, glaring at Gunther and hating that she was being teamed up on.

"I don't think Auruo is the only one who's flustered tonight," Marco pointed out, and Petra saw him give Gunther a wink, "Petra, you've been looking a little out of sorts too."

"I'm not out of sorts!"

"April at the diner told me Auruo was there with a new girl yesterday," Gunther informed her, "Date not go well?"

"It wasn't a date, you moron!" Petra's voice may have been inappropriately loud at that moment so she looked around to make sure no one was looking and then ducked her head down conspiratorially, "Look, he was texting me and we were both bored and he asked me to go get coffee with him, that's IT."

"Kind of like how Reiner is JUST taking you to the barbeque?" Marco teased.

"I am free to go wherever with _whoever_ I so choose," Petra hissed, "I'm a free woman!"

Gunther looked at her strangely for a moment and then stood up straight, his eyes strayed across the room to where Auruo was talking to a young woman in his table section.

"So...you like Reiner?" he asked offhandedly.

"What? Well...I...he's handsome," Petra offered her lame reply and realized how shallow it must have sounded. No, to be honest, she wasn't interested in Reiner but the thought of showing up to the barbeque with a very handsome, very large man next to her was appealing.

"You go for the big burly type? Big, blond and beautiful?" Marco asked from where he was still leaning on her desk.

"I...no...not usually," Petra admitted, "Look, I don't know why this is any of your business, Marco! Don't you have customers to attend to?"

"Yes, I do," Marco admitted, sounding a little sad, "I can see you're not going to tell me what's r _eally_ going on so...back to work for me."

He gave her a knowing smile before he returned to his tables and began fulfilling the needs of the guests. Petra realized she had her fists clenched under the hostess desk and she growled slightly before letting them loose, but then Gunther turned to her again and fixed her in a serious stare.

"Wh...what?!" she yelped, feeling very guilty for some reason because his dark eyes almost seemed to peer into her soul.

" Auruo told me..." Gunther started but he looked a bit unsure if he should say what was on his mind.

"Told you _what?"_ Petra perked up, very interested in what he had to tell her.

"Did he send you a text last night pretty late?" Gunther was squinting slightly, trying to judge her reactions.

"Maybe..." Petra eyed the bouncer warily, wondering just what he knew that she didn't.

"Ah, so he worked up the nerve to send it?" Gunther looked far too pleased, "And what did you say?"

Petra blushed brightly and looked down at her desk in shame.

"I...didn't say anything," she sighed.

Gunther let out a very indignant sound that made her look up again, he was staring at her in disbelief.

"You never said ANYTHING back?" he asked, sounding utterly shocked, "You've just left him hanging this whole time? Don't you think that's...kind of cruel?"

Petra groaned and buried her head on her crossed arms.

"I'm not trying to be cruel...I just didn't know what to say!"

Gunther patted her on the shoulder and sighed.

"You don't like him?" he asked, sounding a bit sad about the whole deal, "Shit, I should have told him to wait a bit longer before he sent you that text...he asked me if he should last night."

Petra was starting to feel even worse about the whole thing the longer Gunther talked. She felt like a total bitch for leaving Auruo hanging now.

"Ugh, Gunther, I don't dislike him," she tried to reason through her own jumbled thoughts, "I just don't know if I like him back yet or not! I enjoy his company and he's funny and I don't think he's a jerk anymore...but I haven't even known him a week yet!"

"Yeah, it's a bit quick," Gunther agreed, "But I don't know, sometimes a few days is all it takes to know you want to get to know someone better."

"I do want to know him better!" Petra defended herself.

"I think that's all he's asking for right now, don't you?" Gunther nudged her in the shoulder because a guest was at the door, "Maybe you should just tell him that, it's better than nothing!"

"You're right, Gunther, I just panicked a little, I guess," she agreed and stood to go greet the newcomer, "I'll work it out, don't worry."

Unfortunately, this particular guest was a fan of Auruo and asked to be seated in his section so Petra found herself facing him a lot sooner than she planned.

"Auruo," the guest greeted the waiter with friendly familiarity, "How are you, darling?"

The way the woman said the word was more like "Dahling" and it made Petra feel a flash of dislike for the woman in her expensive furs and sequined gold dress. There was no denying this woman was beautiful with her tall, slim figure and her ruby red lips, her golden blonde hair pulled into a tight, perfect bun at the base of her skull. Auruo seemed to know her well because he took her hand in his and bent low to press a kiss to her knuckles, his hazel eyes locked with hers the entire time.

"Mrs. Ludlow, it's been a while since you graced us with your presence here at the Wall," he said, gallantly.

"Oh, yes, darling, I've been so busy lately," Mrs. Ludlow dramatically put her hand to her brow to wipe away pretend sweat, although Petra doubted a woman of her social standing ever worked hard enough to sweat, "I've been running to so many events and important social meetings, it really is exhausting, you know? No, I suppose someone of your caliber would not."

Petra felt a cold chill go up her spine at those words and her fists clenched in rage at her sides and she glared angrily at the back of the woman's head. How _dare_ she say such a thing to Auruo, who was quite possibly the most hardworking and good-hearted man Petra had ever had the fortune to meet...this woman was suddenly less than dirt in her eyes.

But Auruo was giving Petra a look that clearly ordered her to hold her tongue and not get involved, he nodded his head slightly in the direction of the front doors and Petra took it to mean he wanted her to get back to the hostess desk and leave this to him. Petra gave the woman's back one last death glare before turning on her heels with a huff and heading back to her work zone. She heard Auruo begin talking again, his voice light and friendly to that horrible snob of a woman...and she hated that he had so much control over his emotions; she suddenly felt immature and easily offended because of her anger.

It wasn't too much later that Auruo's name began to rippled among the crowd and grew into a demanding rumble and he made his way up on stage, but Petra noticed he lacked his usual flair and showmanship, this time he simply stepped up and spoke to the band about the song before taking the mic stand in one hand. The music began and Petra recognized the tune immediately...it was an old Frank Sintra song: Strangers in the Night.

Oh, goodness...the significance of the song was not lost on Petra and she wondered if he'd chosen it on purpose. A song about people meeting and falling in love in the course of a short time...and the look he gave her as the song ended, a question obvious in his eyes, confirmed to her that it was no accident he chose that song.

"Interesting song choice."

"Damn it, Gunther, I said I'll handle it!" Petra almost screamed this at him but she managed to keep it down to a threatening growl and Gunther put his hands up in a peaceful gesture and backed away with a grin.

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As the evening wore down and the band started playing their farewell for the night song, Silk. It had been an uneventful night full of well behaved patrons so Annie and Gunther had it easy, the flow of customers hadn't been crazy like some nights and it seemed like mostly regular club attendees had come and stayed most the night with little turnover.

And now, as the last customer was making their way out the door, Petra began to work out in her head what she wanted to say to Auruo when they spoke. She watched as he began cleaning his tables and she steeled herself and walked over to him.

"Want some help?" she asked and he actually jerked in surprise despite how quietly she had spoken, but he recovered his composure quickly and nodded.

"Sure," he mumbled, "You can round up the candles if you want, there's a basket in the back of the kitchen where we throw the used ones."

Petra nodded in understanding and went around the area blowing out the still lit candles and gathered them up in her arms to take into the back. Kicking the door open proved to be a mistake because it collided with Jean's face rather loudly.

"Oh, Jean, I'm so sorry!" Petra blushed brightly and apologized profusely as the young chef leaned against the wall and held his now tender nose.

"It's o'tay," Jean's voice was funny sounding as he squeezed his nostrils together to staunch the flow of blood that was dripping out of them. Petra ran and dropped the candles in the basket and then grabbed a towel to hand to him, which he accepted gratefully. "Damn, next time maybe just sort of back into the door if your hands are full, yeah?"

"I will, I promise," Petra said quickly, nodding like an idiot.

And, unfortunately, that happened to be the time Auruo decided to enter the kitchen. He took a quick look at the situation and started to laugh at Jean's misfortune and Petra's embarrassed expression.

"Oh my god, Petra, don't take it out on poor Jean," he said with a wink.

"Jeez, Bossard, control your woman," Jean groaned as he removed the towel to examine the amount of blood loss.

"WHAT!?" Petra shrieked loudly at the brazen young man's words.

Auruo was giving Jean a death glare and he grabbed the youth by the shoulders and almost literally kicked him out of the kitchen through the swinging door, then he turned to Petra and she saw that he was blushing all the way to the tips of his ears.

"I...uh...really don't...I don't know what the hell he meant by that!" he defended himself quickly because Petra's look was absolutely seething, "I swear to god, I didn't say ANYTHING!"

Petra rolled her eyes, but she understood...

"It was Gunther and Marco, most likely," she said, crossing her arms, "They were both all up in my business about that text of yours last night. My money is on Gunther."

Auruo looked at her in silence for a moment and then ran his hand nervously through his shaggy hair, messing it up in an adorable way that made Petra want to giggle, but she maintained her silent and aloof air.

"Yeah...about that..." Auruo began slowly, "I...I'm sorry I sent you that."

"You are?" Petra's arms fell to her side and she looked at him unhappily. She hadn;t expected him to take it back or deny anything...and she didn't like it that he had.

"I...well...no, no I'm not," Auruo sighed and his shoulders slumped forward in defeat, "I mean...I'm not sorry for saying it, I'm just sorry for not waiting a little longer, I guess. I didn't want to freak you out or anything but Gunther said I should just go for it. I understand completely if you don't feel the same...I mean, if you don't want to hang out anymore..."

"Auruo, shut up for a second?" Petra had never seen him look so unsure and self-conscious before. He stopped speaking and clamped his mouth shut almost comically. "I'm really sorry I didn't answer your text last night, I just didn't know exactly how I felt about it. But...I've been thinking about it and...I want to get to know you better. I really, really do. I've enjoyed our talks and our coffee trips and hanging out after work, so why shouldn't we continue that? If you still like me in a few weeks once we know eachother better, feel free to ask me out on a real date."

Auruo stood in stunned silence, his eyes a little bit widened in surprise and the corners of his mouth slowly curving into a delighted smile.

"You've known Reiner only as long as me and you told him you'd go on a date with him," he complained, almost a little bit whiney.

"Because he's only taking me to the barbeque at Hanji's," Petra informed him, "You'll be working anyway, and it's not a real date. When...sorry, if...if you ask me on a date then I have a feeling that would feel more like the real thing. I'm not interested in Reiner, we're just going to hang out."

"So...you're not interested in Reiner...but you're interested in me?" Auruo looked like he couldn't believe it, "I mean...Reiner is..."

"Big, burly and handsome?" Petra offered.

"Uh...yeah," Auruo looked a bit insulted, "And I'm, obviously, not..."

"Auruo..."

But at that moment, the kitchen door swung open and Jean returned to throw his bloody towel in the garbage. He stopped in his tracks and looked between the two of them and then nodded in understanding.

"Sorry to intrude," he muttered and threw the towel away before heading back out the door. But the moment was broken and Petra watched unhappily as Auruo followed Jean out to the front and left her standing by Levi's office door. There was nothing more for her to do but return to the front as well.

By that time, most everyone was heading out and Eld was wiping down the bar and putting glasses in the rack to be washed the next evening.

"Hey, Eld, need any help?" Petra offered, not wanting to go home yet.

"Naw, Petra, I've got it handled," Eld responded with a grin, "You two go on ahead and get home."

Petra noticed then that the only people left in the place were Eld, herself, Levi and Auruo...Levi was heading for his office so she knew who Eld was referring to.

"Well, goodnight, Eld," Auruo called out and headed for the backdoor without waiting for Petra at all so she ran to catch up to him and followed him out to the parking lot. "See you tomorrow night, Petra. Have fun at the barbeque, I mean it...give Reiner a chance, yeah?"

He turned and headed for the sidewalk before Petra could respond and she knew better than to ask if he wanted a ride tonight...he obviously needed a little space to think and so did she, to be honest. She unlocked her car and slid into the driver's seat, searching her song list for music to drive home by and settled on the complete opposite of the night's smooth jazz: Dubstep.

The mesmerizing wub-wub noises and the electronic, repetitive rhythm put her into a comfortable trance as she drove uptown to her apartment, it was good music to think by.

By the time she reached home, her mind was full to the brim with every pro and con she could think of relating to Auruo Bossard...and, so far, the pros were far outweighing the cons. He was funny. He was a hard worker. He loved his family. He was honest. He was enjoyable to spend time with. He was handsome. Yes, he was...but not in the way Reiner was, in all his large, blonde, perfect bone structured glory...no, Auruo was handsome in his own unique way. The way his smile effected his entire face all the way to his eyes and the way they seemed to blaze with emotion, the way his brow furrowed when he was confused, the already forming lines on his face that made him look older than she knew he was, his shaggy, wild, ash-colored hair,...yes, Auruo was handsome. It was an odd revelation.

"Hey, Marty, I need some serious cuddles tonight," Petra sighed as she shut her apartment door behind her and hung up her keys. Marty meowed as if she understood and Petra headed for her bedroom immediately to change out of her work uniform and into her pajama pants. She realized once again that she'd forgotten to return Auruo's cravat to him as she took off her tie, it was still lying spread out where she'd left it the previous week.

After changing, Petra picked up Marty and headed for the familiar comfort of her bed, collapsing among the pillows and holding the furry. black creature on her chest. Marty's loud purr filled her ears and drowned out all other sounds from the house. Except for one.

 _Bee Doop!_

Petra sat up to grab her phone and Marty jumped off her chest with an indignant mew, leaving the room with her tail held high in dismay.

 _ **1:24 AM: Get home safe?**_

Petra smiled. She'd left him hanging yet again after their discussion in the kitchen, but here he was still concerned about her safety. She texted back immediately.

 _1:24 AM: I did indeed! How about you?_

 _ **1:25 AM: Of course. Even though I had to go all that way by myself because**_ **someone** _ **didn't offer me a ride home tonight.**_

 _1:27 AM: I'm sorry...I was going to offer you one but I thought maybe you wanted some time alone._

 _ **1:29 AM: I was alone all day :(**_

 _1:30 AM: Oh geez, Auruo, are you trying to make me feel guilty?_

 _ **1:31 AM: Is it working?**_

 _1:32 AM: Yes._

 _ **1:33 AM: You could make it up to me.**_

Petra eyed the latest message with a distrusting squint for a moment before typing her reply.

 _1:36 AM: How, exactly, could I do that?_

 _ **1:37 AM: Go on a date with me?**_

 _1:38 AM: Auruo, we talked about this..._

 _ **1:40 AM: I know...but I'm going to keep asking you until you give me a chance.**_

Petra smiled gently at her phone and shook her head slightly. He was determined, she'd give him that much.

 _1:41 AM: Ok. Now, get some sleep because you've got to be up in a few hours for work._

 _ **1:42 AM: I work at 8 tomorrow, not 6. So I get a couple more hours tonight.**_

 _1:43 AM: Well, then take advantage of those extra hours. Goodnight, Auruo. I'll see you tomorrow at work._

 _ **1:44 AM: Fine, nag, I will. And I look forward to it.**_

 _1:45 AM: G'night._

 _ **1:45 AM: Night.**_

Petra wouldn't tell him to his face yet...but she was looking forward to seeing him at work as well.

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 **Soon and very soon these two are gonna realize they can't fight it. They belong together and WE all know it and so does Gunther!**


	9. Chapter 9

**I've been deep cleaning my house today so...the writing begins at 10:30 PM!**

 **Song guide:**

 **1\. "Rhapsody in Blue" - George Gershwin**

 **2\. "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" - Marilyn Monroe**

 **3\. "I'm Your Man" - Michael Buble (words provided in story, but you really should give it a listen if you want the real feel of the song)**

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 _BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP!_

Petra jerked awake at the sound of her phone's insistent, annoying alarm and she blindly reached out to silence the horrible sound, but her hand collided with her bedside lamp and sent it falling to the floor with a massive _thunk_ that sent Marty running from the room.

"Damn it," Petra mumbled into her pillow where her face still remained buried, she managed to silence her phone and then let her arm flop off the edge of the bed. She just wanted to sleep for another five minutes...

 _BEE DOOP!_

Petra's head shot off the pillow at the sound of her text message alert and snatched the phone off the table, blinking rapidly to clear the sleep from her eyes and read the message.

 _ **10:03 AM: Hey, Petra! It's Reiner, just making sure we're still on for tomorrow?**_

Petra eyed the text and felt a little bit of disappointment...she'd thought it would be from Auruo and she could start her day with a series of amusing texts and some teasing. She sighed but smiled anyway because Reiner was adorable too and a nice guy even if she wasn't interested in a relationship with him, she _was_ looking forward to hanging out with him at the barbecue.

 _10:05 AM: Good morning, Reiner. For sure, we're still on. Where do you want to meet up?_

 _ **10:06 AM: I could pick you up, you know?**_

 _10:08 AM: Sure! I'll give you my address._

A few minutes later they were set up and Reiner would pick her up the next morning at eleven. Petra set her phone down on the comforter beside her and raised her arms over her head in a big stretch before tossing the covers away and getting out of bed. She was just about to walk out of the room when her phone made the message tone again and she realized she'd left it on the bed so she went back and grabbed it, wondering what Reiner had to say now.

But it wasn't from Reiner, and Petra felt her heart do a weird little fluttery thing when she saw Auruo's name on her screen. She opened the message immediately.

 _ **10:19 AM: Will you go on a date with me?**_

 _10:20 AM: Not yet._

 _ **10:21 AM: Oh, wow, you answered really fast...but it was the wrong answer.**_

 _10:22 AM: You're very stubborn, aren't you?_

 _ **10:24 AM: I'm going to ask you every morning until you say yes. So...yeah, I guess I am pretty stubborn.**_

Petra smiled like an idiot...so wide that her teeth showed. How adorable was this guy?

 _10:26 AM: I have date with Reiner tomorrow so you can skip that day._

 _ **10:27 AM: Not gonna happen, cupcake.**_

 _10:28 AM: Did you seriously just call me a food nickname?_

 _ **10:30 AM: Yeah...I'm ashamed of myself for that. Food nicknames are the worst. How about...hun bun?**_

 _10:31 AM: That's a reference to a "Honey Bun" which is a food. No go._

 _ **10:33 AM: Ugh, fine...oh, I got it! This one is perfect.**_

Petra waited but he didn't say anything else and she was curious now!

 _10:37 AM: Aaaannnnd...?_

 _ **10:38 AM: Sorry, had to do something. I'm at work. You're distracting me.**_

 _10:39 AM: YOU texted me first!_

 _ **10:41 AM: Whatever you say, dewdrop.**_

Petra let out a loud and unladylike guffaw at the ridiculous term of endearment and shook her head as she made her way out of her bedroom and to the kitchen to make breakfast.

 _10:45 AM: You need to get back to work. Stop being distracted._

 _ **10:46 AM: Yes, ma'am. See you at work tonight.**_

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Petra spent a few hours killing time. She ate breakfast, played fetch with Marty, watched TV on the couch...but she was bored and her mind wasn't even registering the shows she was watching because it was too busy thinking about work that evening and the barbeque the next day with Reiner. But, most of all, she kept re-reading a specific text message: "I'm going to ask you every morning until you say yes."

It was endearing how stubborn he was being about this and she knew he most definitely _would_ be sending that text every morning just like he said. It was...very endearing.

And right then she decided she didn't want to wait till that evening at work to see him and she searched her contacts for another co-worker's number.

 _2:14 PM: Gunther, it's Petra. I have a really odd question for you._

 _ **2:17 PM: Hey, Petra! Ask away.**_

 _2:18 PM: Um...which library does Auruo work at today?_

 _ **2:20 PM: Now, Petra, why would you want to know such a thing? ;)**_

Oh good grief...she could just about imagine the teasing eyebrow wiggle he would be giving her right now if they were face to face. She rolled her eyes and typed her reply.

 _2:22 PM: Don't be a dork, Gunther. I just wanted to know because I have to pick up some books and I wouldn't want to show up at the one he's at and have him get the wrong impression._

 _ **2:23 PM: Whatever you say ;) He works at the one downtown on 75th and Winterset Ave. Have fun, you stalker.**_

Stalker...Petra growled low in her throat at her phone's screen but she chose not to humor her friend anymore and went to her bedroom to throw together a halfway decent outfit. Soon, she was out the door and in the parking lot.

She actually knew the library in particular fairly well, she had frequented it often enough...she wondered if she'd ever actually seen Auruo there before and just never noticed him? Had he noticed her? Probably not.

This library was a bit of a drive for her from her uptown apartment, but it seemed like the trip went fairly quick when her mind was busy thinking about how lame she was being and how creepy it was to be stalking your co-worker at his second (third?) job for absolutely no good reason...the longer she thought about it, the more awkward she felt. But she was here now so there was no point in turning back now!

Petra made her way up the large stone steps and through the front doors, glancing around to make sure the coast was clear before she went inside entirely. She walked slowly and peeked around every corner before walking around it and she was sure anyone who may be watching her would think she was crazy, but she was determined not to be seen because, first of all, she didn't want to freak him out because of her stalking and, second of all, she didn't want to encourage him in his quest to get her to like him...even though he was definitely succeeding without knowing it.

She hadn't been lying though, she really did want a book and she figured she would get it while she was here. She quickly made her way to the fiction section and grabbed the book after a quick search for the title and clutched it to her chest as she made her way towards the checkout desk...and that's when she heard Auruo's voice and stopped in her tracks.

"The Wolf was dragging it's paws and looked very, very thirsty indeed! It's tongue hung from his mouth as he looked around for the water the ladybug had promised would be there...but he couldn't find any! Had the ladybug lied?"

Petra very carefully peeked around the corner and saw a large side room and saw a crowd of very small children and their parents sitting on the floor listening to the story being read aloud. Auruo sat in front of them all, leaning forward with a book in his hands, looking very invested in the story as he scanned the crowd with excited eyes, drawing them into the story with his enthusiasm. The kids all leaned forward too, waiting eagerly for him to continue, eye bright and looks of concern on their faces.

"Mr. Auruo, Ladybug didn't lie, did she?" one little girl seemed absolutely horrified to think a thing was possible.

"Let's find out, Elizabeth," Auruo gave her a wink and turned the page, "The Wolf laid down on the dirt and big, fat tears rolled down his face. He was so thirsty and he had no more strength left to move! 'Ladybug, Ladybug, I deserve this fate after all I have done! I will die here and everyone will be better off when I am gone!' the Wolf cried miserably."

Petra put a hand to her mouth to stop the delighted giggle that threatened to escape her mouth. This was beyond precious! Auruo had changed his voice into a deep, scratchy tone for the character of the Wolf and the kids had begun to giggle at the sound of it.

"But then the Wolf heard a fluttering of wings and Ladybug landed on the end of his nose. 'Wolf, oh Wolf, why are you simply lying here? You must drink before it is gone!' she said with much urgency."

If the Wolf voice he made had been adorable, his voice for the Ladybug was ten times better, it was high in pitch and breathy and Petra assumed that this was Auruo's best "girl voice".

The story continued and it was discovered that the Ladybug had led Wolf to a field of tall grass covered in drops of morning dew. The Wolf drank his fill of the dew so that he would not die of thirst and realized Ladybug was not afraid of him and wanted to be his friend even though every other animal in the forest was afraid of him. A very sweet ending indeed.

Auruo closed the book and the children clapped loudly and so did many parents.

"Alright, who hasn't picked a book yet?" Auruo asked and a dozen hands shot in the air and he pointed at a little boy with bright red hair, "James, you pick the next one, ok? You'll be here next week, yeah?"

The reading was over and the kids began gathering with their parents to leave. Petra watched with soft eyes and a full heart as several of the children ran to Auruo and hugged him tightly before scampering off to their mothers and fathers, he hugged them back tightly and ruffled their hair with a grin and big them all goodbye with gentle kindness...and damned if it wasn't the best image Petra had ever seen of him yet.

But then, his eyes shot up and she jerked back around the corner as fast as she could with a small squeak. Oh no...had he seen her?! She rapidly walked away towards the checkout desk, hoping she could get out quick enough before he definitely saw her! She suddenly felt weird and awkward and guilty for being here like a crazy infatuated teenager following their crush around and she wanted to get out of there as soon as she could.

Minutes later she was out the doors and in her car. She tossed the book into her passenger seat and drove away quickly, cranking up some Journey to take her mind off of nearly being caught stalking red handed!

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That night at work, Petra was relieved when Auruo made no sign of noticing her creeper presence at the library earlier and she fell into her work routine with a sense of peace...she had gotten away with it and gone was the fear of facing his scrutiny and teasing.

"Good evening and welcome to The Inner Wall," she greeted her first customer of the night, her ears filled with the sound of the band's beautiful rendition of "Rhapsody in Blue", "My name is Petra and I'll be your hostess this evening. Do you have a particular seat you would like? If not, allow me to make a selection for you."

She led the customer, a newcomer to the club, to Eren's seating section and the waiter gallantly pulled out the chair and pushed it in again for the young woman in her little black dress.

"This is Eren Jaeger," Petra introduced the young man, "He'll be your waiter this evening and will taking care of anything you might need. Have a lovely night and enjoy the music!"

It was her usual speech that she said dozens of times each night, but she always managed to make it sound genuine each time...and that's because it was. She truly felt a love for the club and indeed hoped that every customer enjoyed it half as much as she did. The band was talented and put out beautiful songs, all the singers, not just Auruo, who volunteered to sing occasionally were delightful, the servers were attentive and kind, Eld tended the bar with ease and friendliness...everything worked smoothly and perfectly and, if it didn't, Annie and Gunther soon set it all straight again by removing the kink in the machine.

"So, how was the library?"

Speak of the Devil, Gunther had come to lean on her desk and was giving her a smug look.

"It was fine, thank you," Petra didn't even feel like evading him tonight, so she busied herself with updating the seating chart and didn't meet his eyes. "I found the book I wanted."

"The 'book', huh?"

"Yes, Gunther, an actual book with pages and a story. Because I DO enjoy reading and I go to libraries frequently without it being any big deal."

Gunther laughed good-naturedly and shook his head.

"How long are you going to keep this act up?" he asked, "If you like him why don't you just..."

"Are you going to badger me about this EVERY night we work together?" Petra snapped, maybe a little too sharply, her eyes squinted in annoyance.

She was immediatly sorry for snapping and wondered if Gunther would be hurt by her tone but he just put his hands up in a peaceful way and smiled.

"Ok, hey, don't bite my head off about your own frustrations," he chuckled as he backed up to his spot by the door again, a wide smile on his face.

Petra growled quietly and went back to her seating chart with a shake of her head.

"Good evening, Petra, how are you?" a woman's voice made her look up from her chart and she smiled at the now familiar blonde.

"Nanaba! Good to see you again! Things here are lovely so far, nobody is drunk or rowdy yet," Petra responded happily, "Are you singing tonight for us?"

"Indeed I am," Nanaba nodded, "Any requests?"

"I believe you'll know best," Petra laughed lightly, "You want your usual seat? It's in Marco's section tonight."

"Yes, of course," Nanaba removed her coat and slung it over her arm and headed for her normal spot and Petra marked her seat off the chart.

It wasn't too much later that Nanaba was up on stage, speaking to the band about her chosen song and Petra cheered along with the rest of the crowd as the blonde singer stood before the mic with a smile and the band began to play. The song choice was "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" and old Marylin Monroe show tune that Petra adored and she sang along quietly, wishing she had any sort of vocal talent.

When the song ended, Nanaba thanked the crowd and then pointed out into the audience and the spotlight flipped over and fixed on a surprised looking Auruo who had a tray of drinks on his flat palm.

"Auruo, dear," Nanaba called from the stage, "Grace us all with a song? I think the crowd would greatly appreciate it."

The crowd seemed to agree because they cheered loudly and clapped enthusiastically. Auruo was shaking his head and grinning in amusement.

"Let me hand these drinks out first," he said with a resigned tone, and he did just that. Then Connie happily took the tray from him and gave him a light push towards the stage. Auruo nodded his thanks at the fellow waiter for covering his section for a bit and trotted happily towards the stage and jumped up next to Nanaba.

"Any song in particular?" he asked his singing partner.

"Oh, it's your choice," Nanaba replied with a smile, "I'm going back to my seat so I can just enjoy listening for once."

She handed him the mic and he took it with a nod of acceptance.

"Fine then, don't sing with me you jerk," he gave her a wink and the crowd laughed, "How about you guys? Anything you want to hear?"

Petra expected the crowd to offer a suggestion but she turned her head in shock when Gunther's deep voice rose over the sounds of the club.

"Auruo, sing that one song!" the dark haired man yelled, "The one all the ladies love."

Oh? Petra was curious now...

"Ah...anyone else?" Auruo glanced over and, before Petra could look away, met her eyes with a slightly panicked expression. She stared right back at him and he blushed and quickly looked away.

"Show of hands, who wants to hear it?" Gunther called out to the crowd and a vast majority of hands flew up and Auruo sighed in defeat and turned to the band to inform them of the song. A huge feral grin came over Hitch's face and she cracked her fingers before placing them over her piano keys.

The music began, slow and mellow, heavy on the brass and bass and Petra immediately knew the feel of this song was very passionate...very sexual. Oh...sweet baby Jesus!

"If you want a lover, I'll do anything you ask me to. And if you want another kind of love, I'll wear a mask for you. If you want a partner, take my hand or if you want to strike me down in anger, here I stand. I'm your man."

Auruo's voice started out gently, low and smooth and seductive, and Petra felt her stomach flip and the combination of the sounds of the music, his voice and the lyrics made her mind spark with images better suited for lonely nights in her bed than sitting here at her desk surrounded by coworkers and patrons...

"And if you want a boxer, I will step into the ring for you. And if you want a doctor, I'll examine every inch of you. If you want a driver climb inside or if you want to take me for a ride, you know you can 'cause I'm your man."

The feel of the song was becoming more intense, a little faster in tempo, addition of the piano and drums, Auruo's voice becoming more dramatic...especially as he went into the chorus and he got louder.

"Ah, the moon's too bright, the chain's too tight, the beast won't go to sleep. I've been running through these promises to you that I made and could not keep. Ah, but a man never got a woman back, not by begging on his knees. I' crawl to you, baby, and I'd fall at your feet; I'd howl at your beauty like a dog in heat. I'd claw at your heart and I'd tear at your sheet; I'd say please, 'cause I'm your man."

There was a small instrumental break which the band took full advantage of as Auruo fell silent and Petra took that small moment to compose herself now that his voice wasn't filling the club and filling her with an unexplained sensation of heat and tension...but it was short lived because Auruo raised stepped back up to the mic and started singing again, a bit stronger this verse than the first two, clearer.

"And if you need to sleep a moment on the road I will steer for you. And if you want to work the street alone, I'll disappear for you. And if you want a father for your child or only want to walk with me awhile across the sand, well I'm your man."

And if Petra had felt a effected by the song before, this last chorus caused that feeling to increase sevenfold...the band got louder, and so did Auruo, his voice rose and fell dramatically and he put a lot of flare into it; a slight growling tone here, a wobble of his voice there...it was intoxicating. When it came to the word "howl" he gripped the mic stand and leaned back slightly, his head tossed back, eyes closed tight, lips pulled into a snarl and teeth showing as he growled the word out; Petra had never heard anything quite so fucking primal in all her life.

But the song mellowed out again not a few moments after that and a few more repeats of "I'm your man" completed the ending. But just as Petra was beginning to recover from that last part, he looked over at her and locked her in a serious and promising stare.

"'Cause I'm your man."

The last few notes played, the song finished in a few suggestive notes from Ymir's saxophone...and then the crowd erupted into applause and Auruo's eyes flicked away from her to look at his fans and take a small bow before he left the stage and went back to his job on the floor.

Petra was still staring at the spot on the stage where he'd been standing when she felt Gunther come up beside her and lean onto her desk again.

"You need to take a few moments to yourself? I'll cover the desk for you if you need to cool off."

And, like that, the spell was broken and Petra gave Gunther a death glare.

Damn it...between herself and Gunther she might not last another week of denying Auruo a "yes" to his dating requests.

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 **I freaking adore Gunther, omg...he wasn't supposed to be the involved at first but the more I write him as their own personal cupid, the more I like it!**


	10. Chapter 10

**I felt like writing another chapter on this story so...I did.**

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Petra woke up the next morning and got moving immediately, she jumped in the shower, brushed her teeth and hair, applied her makeup and then returned to her bedroom to think about her outfit for the day.

It was Wednesday, the day of the barbeque at Hanji and Moblit's house and Reiner would be here before too long to pick her up. A good outfit that was practical enough for an indoor/outdoor event was important and she wanted to look as put together as she did at work so no one would think she was a scrub muffin in her free time.

She finally settled on a mid thigh length skirt with just the right amount of flare without being too loose in case the wind picked up, she slipped on black leggings to cut the chill of the fast approaching autumn temperatures. She put on a simple white tank top and layered it up with a form fitting teal jacket and then looked in the mirror, smiling at her reflection. Yes...this definitely looked good, and it would look even better with her knee high, black leather boots with just enough heel to be sexy yet practical.

There was a knock on her door and Petra grabbed said boots and trotted happily to the front door, opening it and smiling brightly at Reiner.

"Hey, Petra! Wow, you look really hot!" he greeted without missing a beat, his signature smile spreading over his handsome face, golden eyes sparkling.

Petra giggled and took a moment to take in her date's appearance. He wore dark, relaxed fit jeans and a forest green, tight fitting t-shirt with a black blazer jacket, and brown dress boots...she thought he looked pretty hot himself but she wouldn't dare say such a thing out loud. She needed to remember not to encourage him too much.

"Thank you, Reiner," she replied, "You look very well put together as well."

"I _have_ been told God put me together well," he informed her with a wink, "You ready to go?"

"Yes! I'm so excited for this!" Petra said, grabbing her purse off the catch-all desk and closing the door behind her and locking it before falling into a relaxed walk beside Reiner as they headed down the hallway to the stairs that led to the building's lobby.

"This is a real nice apartment building," Reiner commented, looking up at the chandelier that hung over the lobby, "Like really, really nice. You rich or something?"

"My family is very well off," Petra offered, not in the mood to discuss her father's business or her family affairs, "Where do you live, Reiner?"

"Aw, just in a regular old house outside of the city," he responded with no shame, "I commute to work."

Petra nodded and she smiled when he held the door open for her and they stepped outside. Reiner led her down the steps and around the corner to where he'd parked at the parking meters on the street and Petra had to hold back a laugh when she saw what he was driving...because she was amazed a large man like him could even fit in it! It was a very small, a mini Cooper, Petra believed and he looked like a giant next to it!

Watching Reiner get in was almost like watching a contortionist...but Petra knew that, as funny as he must look getting in and out of it, no one could ever say something negative to such an intimidating and good looking man. It was sort of unfair in a hilarious way.

They drove along, talking easily and singing along terribly together to random music that came on the radio, Reiner played drums on the steering wheel and bounced his left leg to the beat.

"Do you play any other kind of music on the drums besides Jazz at the club?" Petra asked as she watched his thumbs and leg keep perfect rhythm to the rock song that was playing currently.

"Yeah, I play anything and everything," he informed her, "I mean except for that rap shit. There's no challenge in that, it's very repetitive and there's no room for any fun tricks."

Petra nodded in agreement, she liked all kinds of music but she wasn't overly fond of most rap either. And she despised modern "R & B" because, in her opinion, it was no such thing.

"You seem like a hard rock fan to me," Petra offered, wondering if she was correct.

"I actually like country from a listening standpoint, but rock is the most fun to play," he said as the song finished, "Good guess though."

They chatted like this for the length of the drive and Petra realized they were headed out of town. Eventually they came to a ranch-style house on the outskirts of the city and Petra saw that the backyard was already full of party-goers. She felt a jolt of excitement and eagerly left the car as soon as Reiner parked it at the curb.

"I was gonna open your door for you," he commented almost sadly and Petra blushed.

"Oh, sorry! I always tend to rush ahead and ruin any chance men have at chivalry," she admitted lamely.

Reiner laughed and they headed for the side gate to the yard, Hanji spotted them coming and she waved enthusiastically from her spot by the grill where she was flipping burgers.

"Hey, look everyone, Reiner and Petra are here!" she announced loudly and several people turned to greet them.

"Petra, Reiner, join us over here!" Ymir called loudly from a picnic table by the fence and they made their way to her, saying hello to people as they went. They took their seats across from Ymir, Krista and Sasha; next to Connie.

"How's the date going?" Ymir asked Petra as soon as she took her seat, her dark eyes alight with mischief as she gave Krista's arm a squeeze.

"So far so good," Petra responded honestly, "So far he's been a perfect gentleman."

Reiner's chest puffed out and he gave Ymir a smug look.

"See what you're missing, ladies?" he asked.

"No thanks," Ymir rolled her eyes and Krista giggled as she was pulled closer to her girlfriend's side, "I'll keep what I've got, thanks."

"Who said you have to choose between the two?" Sasha asked and Petra looked at her in surprise, but no one else seemed at all shocked. "I mean, you always have the option of a threeway."

"SASHA!" Connie buried his face in his arms on the picnic table and looked completely embarressed, "You need to learn to filter some stuff."

"I'm just saying..."

"I'm down if you two are," Reiner laughed, but then he glanced over at Petra and his laughter was cut short, "Uh, I mean, no way you guys, that's totally wrong...I'd never do anything like that!"

Petra shook her head and giggled slightly at Reiner's sudden change in countenance and she looked down at her phone to avoid having to comment. Her screen announced that she had a new message and she smiled widely, already knowing who it was from.

 _ **12:40 PM: Hey, dewdrop, will you go on a date with me?**_

Petra shook her head with a smile and she typed a reply quickly.

 _12:42 PM: I'm already on a date._

She knew this was probably not the nicest thing to do but she tapped Reiner on the shoulder and leaned back towards him, holding her phone out to snap a picture of them together. Reiner grinned and leaned in close, a wide smile spread over his face. She took the picture and then sent it to Auruo.

 _12:45 PM: Wish you were here though!_

 _ **12:46 PM: *sigh* Me too...I should be there next to you, not that blond gorilla.**_

Petra covered her mouth to avoid laughing out loud. Come to think of it, Reiner's exceptionally large shoulders _did_ give him a gorilla-like shape.

 _12:47 PM: Maybe you should take a day off now and then._

 _ **12:48 PM: You know I can't do that. But, damn, Hanji's barbeque ribs would be worth losing a day's wages over, for sure.**_

 _12:50 PM: You working construction today?_

 _ **12:52 PM: *groan* Yeeeessss :( Laying concrete today for the foundation of a new apartment building downtown. Hot, dirty work...**_

Petra vaguely thought she shouldn't say what she was tying out...but she didn't listen to herself and hit send.

 _12:54 PM: Hot and dirty work sounds like work you'd be good at ;)_

 _ **12:56 PM: O.o Shit...**_

 _ **12:56 PM: You really think so?**_

 _ **12:56 PM: I'd be glad to demonstrate my skills ;)**_

 _ **12:56 PM: Sorry. I'm just kidding.**_

"Hey, you guys," Moblit approached their picnic table with a plate full of various meats, "We got hamburgers, hot dogs, ribs and steak so take your pick!"

"Hamburger for me please," Krista stated and Moblit handed her a patty with a pair of tongs.

"Steak, medium rare if you got one," Reiner spoke up and Moblit nodded before digging a thick steak out from the bottom of the pile.

"Steak for me too, rare!" Sasha held out her plate and began to drool when the steak was placed on it.

"Ribs for me," Connie said happily.

"Me too," Ymir agreed.

"Make that three of us," Petra said, "I have heard amazing things about these ribs."

Moblit gave Petra a wide smile.

"Because of mine and Hanji's secret barbeque sauce recipe," he informed her, "Auruo Bossard has a foodgasm every time he eats these."

Petra could definitely see why that would be true as she bit into her first bite of the ribs...holy shit, these were DELICIOUS! Definitely foodgasm inducing.

Moblit moved on to give other people their food and the picnic table fell silent except for Sasha's obnoxiously loud, open-mouthed chewing as she practically inhaled her steak. The yard was filled with upbeat reggae music and the sounds of people having spirited conversation and Petra felt like this was a goodbye to summer sort of party and it was being milked for all its worth. Mike, Hanji, Levi and Erwin stood off by the grills, deeply in conversation about something that seemed semi important, but Hanji was laughing and Levi was scowling at her slightly. Hitch and Marlow sat at the roots of a tree and were making goo goo eyes at eachother as they chewed their food. Berthold and Annie were holding hands as they listened to Jean telling some sort of bragging story, Annie rolled her eyes occasionally. Eren, Mikasa, Marco and Armin were at the end of the yard playing catch with a frisbee. Eld and Gunther were in charge of drinks and were going around with a cooler filled with soda cans offering them to guests.

"Hey, Petra, how are you today?" Petra winced slightly at Gunther's voice in her ear, his tone was full of teasing and she knew she was in for a prodding later on.

"I'm just fine, thanks," she said curtly, giving him a look of warning, "I came here with Reiner."

"I know, I saw you come in together," Gunther informed her, "Drinks, everyone?"

They all dug through the cooler and took their assorted drinks. Eld and Gunther moved on to the next group of guests but Petra didn't miss the knowing looks they exchanged with eachother right before they glanced over their shoulders at her. Great...now _both_ of them were in on it?

The afternoon wore on and Petra was immersed in the fun of the party easily. They played yard games like bocci and lawn darts (which Petra swore were illegal...), they ate more food than was probably healthy and the dessert spread was incredible. Petra ate two slices of pie and a brownie and she felt the sugar rush hit her just as the music changed to popular dance music and she jumped into the "Cotton Eye Joe" line dance with nearly drunken enthusiasm.

They danced for a long time, The Cupid Shuffle, The Macarena, the Tootsie Roll, it was like a throwback to the 1990s and Petra loved every second of it! She was enjoying herself so much that she didn't even realize how late it was getting until Reiner pulled her out of the Electric Slide and told her he had to take her home in time to get ready for work.

Oh, right...they had to work tonight! She noticed that several people had already left and she nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, I need to get home and get ready too," she said, feeling a bit sad to leave the party.

They made their way towards the gate they'd entered earlier and then Petra was struck with an idea and she told Reiner to wait a moment for her then she went back to where Moblit was covering plates of leftovers with plastic wrap.

"Hey, Moblit, if you have any ribs left over, may I have some?" she asked, "I'd like to give them to Auruo on my way home."

Moblit grinned and nodded, handing her a plate heaped full of ribs.

"Here, take all of them," he told her, laughing lightly, "Auruo could eat a horse after work. I saw him inhale an entire large pizza once...it was terrifying and impressive at the same time."

Petra imagined it had been more unsettling than either of those things.

"Thanks, Moblit," she said happily as she accepted the plate, "And thank you for having me to the party. It was really a great time."

"Any time, Petra," Moblit said with a smile, "See at work tonight!"

Petra waved at everyone as she trotted back towards Reiner and followed him to his car by the curb.

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"Reiner, can we stop by the construction site on 49th on our way back?"

"Sure, babe, but why?" Reiner agreed without even hesitating.

"I want to give this plate of ribs to Auruo," she informed him, "Moblit said he loves these and I figured he'd like to have them for dinner before work."

Reiner gave her a look out of the corner of his eyes but he nodded and changed course to head for 49th Street, which wasn't too far away, luckily. Petra picked up her phone and realized with a jolt that she had completely forgotten to respond to any messages all day...there were several from Auruo.

 _ **1:00 PM: Did I take that joke too far?**_

 _ **1:10 PM: Petra?**_

 _ **1:15 PM: Shit...are you mad at me?**_

 _ **2:00 PM: You can slap me tonight at work if that will make you feel better...**_

It was now around four in the evening. Whoops.

When they arrived at the construction site, Petra saw several workers leaving and she hoped they hadn't missed him and he was already gone, but then she saw him standing with a group of men by the cement truck off to the side of the site. Petra waited for him to look over and then she waved at him, he hesitated a moment and then said goodbye to his coworkers before making his way around the large base of the construction area to where she and Reiner stood waiting.

Petra was not mentally prepared for the sight that was Auruo in his construction worker persona. He walked towards them with a wide lope type of walk, and Petra's tummy flipped as he got closer and she could see him better. He wore fairly tight fitting, faded blue jeans and a _very_ tight white shirt...both were covered in flecks of grey that she knew was cement and his shirt was sticking tight to him with sweat. He removed the bright yellow safety helmet which made his hair stick out crazily and he kicked aside a piece of metal in his way with his thick soled work boots.

"Hey, you guys," he greeted them both a little stiffly as he picked a bit of dried cement off his bare forearm, his eyes were not very friendly when they flicked over to Reiner, "How was the party?"

"It was great! Lots of fun, too bad you couldn't come," Reiner replied and Petra knew he was trying to make a point...oh no...

"Some of us have responsibilities other than beating around on drums and being playboys," Auruo replied without any hesitation.

"I'm not a playboy!" Reiner looked genuinely insulted and he glanced over at Petra to judge her response, "And at least I don't have a giant stick up my ass."

"Your ass is too tight to even get a stick in there!"

As much as Petra thought this argument could be extremely entertaining, she stepped between them and held up the paper plate full of ribs and shoved them at Auruo who looked shocked and fumbled with them a bit as he took the offered plate.

"Here, I brought these for you," Petra said, bumping Reiner with her hip in a signal to break up the cock fight and get back a bit, "Moblit said you love them. Apparently they're foodgasm inducing."

Auruo eyed her with an odd expression for a moment before he smiled widely and blushed.

"Aw, geez, Petra, thanks a lot!" he said with genuine enthusiasm, and he took on a mischievous expression, "You must have been thinking about me, huh?"

Reiner let out a light growl and Auruo's lips curled slightly in a small snarl for a moment before he smiled at Petra again.

"Ugh, come on, Reiner, let's go, I just wanted to give him those," Petra rolled her eyes and turned around, pretending to ignore Auruo until Reiner nodded and turned to head back to his car, then she turned back around for a moment and whispered, "I might have thought of you once or twice."

She winked and then turned to catch up with Reiner, leaving Auruo holding his plate of ribs and looking quite taken aback, a smile slowly forming on his face as he watched them pull away and drive off.

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It was an uneventful night at the club and Petra found herself sitting at home after work full of energy and with nothing to do. Auruo had refused her offer to drive her home and, after a text to see if she was home safe, he'd told her was exhausted and was now asleep. It was close to 3 AM and no one else was awake to talk to either...so she was sitting on her couch with her laptop, Marty curled up next to her.

She was checking her FaceSpace when the idea came to her...did Auruo have a page on here?

She typed his name in the search bar and, sure enough, his was the only name of the sort that showed up on the dropdown list and it said they had mutual friends so she knew it was him. She hesitated her mouse over his name for a slight moment, knowing she could very well be opening a can of worms she could regret, and then clicked.

The first thing she noticed, of course, was his page picture: Eld, Gunther and him were all leaning towards the camera with matching grins, pointing at a tiny fish on the end of Eld's fishing line. Petra giggled at it and then scanned down the list of posts on the page.

"Another day another dollar" he'd said as his status that afternoon.

"Hey, man, when are we going to go camping again?" from Eren.

A picture he posted of Idjit with her leash wrapped around her legs that had the caption "She is so dumb"

Became friends with April Fischer on September 5th.

Ugh...April from the diner. Obviously he didn't update very often because that was nearly two weeks ago. Petra scanned through a few more posts and then moved on to the good part...pictures.

One album was entirely pictures of Idjit in various states of clumsy cuteness and she realized that as much as he talked down about the little Pekingese mutt his pictures told a different story.

Another album was labeled "Before and After" and she clicked on it...and her eyes nearly popped out of her skull at the images that flooded her eyesight. Auruo, shirtless, flexing various body parts at the camera. The before pics showed him as slight and skinny with very little muscle definition; the after pics...were the opposite, his arms thick and defined, his back muscles obvious and sculpted, his abdomen rippling. Apparently after his mess up in college he must have devoted a lot of time to working out and putting his energy into it to let off steam.

 _Damn. Oh, damn!_ Petra quickly clicked out of the album and started to scroll down all the pictures other people had tagged him in...and she immediately regretted it. Not too far down was a picture of Auruo and a girl, a girl she recognized. April Fischer.

It was an innocent enough photo...on his part. However, she was pressed very close to his chest and she seemed to have pressed her lips to his cheek at the last moment of the picture. Petra growled at the picture and then read the comments beneath it and growled even louder.

"Had a wonderful time with you, baby!"- April Fischer

"Damn, Auruo, she's prettier than you made her out to be!" - Eren Jaeger

"Isn't that April from the diner?" -Gunther Schultz

"April, what the hell? That guy looks like 50!" -Amy King

Petra didn't know who Amy King was but she assumed she was blind because Auruo did NOT look that old! Ok, Petra had to admit, he looked older than she assumed he was but he did NOT look anywhere near 50!

She clicked out of that particular picture and went on down to see what else she could find. There were a few pictures of him on stage at the club, some random shots with Auruo simply in the back ground and tagged, several pictures of him with Gunther and their dogs out on a walk, some pictures of Auruo cracking stupid grins and making faces and...oh, gracious, a picture of him with his entire family!

He stood next to his mother and father who were both seated on a bench and they were surrounded by boys, six all together. Auruo was definitely the eldest and Petra immediately thought that they were one of the best looking families she'd ever seen, all of them so happy and genuine, she could tell just from looking at them that this was a family full of love and tight bonds.

Petra smiled gently at the picture and, somehow, this was all she needed to see...his college days full of mistakes, women of his past, stupid things he may have said or done that was caught on camera...none of that mattered now that she was looking at that family photo, because THAT was the real Auruo Bossard.

She clicked out of the page and closed her laptop for the night. She leaned down and gave Marty a kiss between the ears, causing the cat to begin purring loudly, and then she stood and made her way to her bedroom.

Maybe she would stalk his page more tomorrow, but bed was calling and she had had a long and busy day. Marty joined her on the bed, curling up on the empty pillow next her and Petra fell asleep easily to the sound of purring.

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 **Tada! Whipping out chapters like a boss!**


	11. Chapter 11

**So. yes, my laptop is still dead but a new one is on the way (holy crap on a stick, thank you crazy amounts to reviewangel for her unparallelled generosity and general awesomeness!) and I will be back in the groove soon. So, for now, I am using my hubby's computer since he is at work all day!**

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 _ **11:45 AM: Good morning! Want to go on a date?**_

Petra grinned at the now completely expected morning wake-up text and she rolled her eyes as she sat up and stretched her arms over her head. She would answer it later, let him wait for her reply as she got ready for the morning.

She yawned as she put her feet over the edge of the bed and made her way to her closet to grab an oversized hoodie and sweatpants for lounging around the house all day...because those were her only plans until work that evening. She tossed her clothing pile on the bathroom floor and started up the shower to let it heat up while she brushed her teeth. The warm water of the shower woke her up from her groggy morning state and she smiled at the sensation of the night's collection of sweat and grime washed away.

It was a typical morning up to that point, but when she entered the kitchen for breakfast she knew something was off. Marty's food bowl, which was usually bone dry by morning and ready to be refilled, was heaping full of kitty kibble. In fact, Marty hadn't joined her in her walk from the bedroom either...

"Marty?" Petra craned her head around the corner and into the living room and saw Marty laying on the couch. At the sound of her name, the black pile of fur raised her head slowly, her eyes were glassy and she weakly forced herself to her paws...and proceeded to fall off the edge of the couch with a loud _thump_ before Petra could even make it over to grab her.

Petra was at her side in a flash.

"MARTY! Oh my god, Marty!" she shrieked as she hovered her hands over the small cat, afraid to touch her in case she had broken anything. But one look at the ragged breathing and Petra knew bones were the least concern she should have. Immediately, she scooped up the limp form and flew out the door, not even bothering to lock it behind her, and down to her car. She laid Marty gently on the passenger seat and then tore out of the parking lot and headed for the Vet's office as fast as she could, speed limit signs be damned!

As soon as she threw her car into park at the Vet's office, she was already half way out of the vehicle, Marty's still form in her arms. She was immediately taken back to the surgical room since she'd called ahead to tell them she was coming, and the Veterinarian took Marty and laid her on the cold table, scanning her quickly and pressing his hands up and down the tiny body...and then he sighed heavily and his shoulders slumped. Petra knew that look well, it was the same look the doctor had on his face when she was seven, when she had been told her mother wasn't coming back out those emergency room doors ever again.

"Miss Ral, I'm sorry, she's already gone," he told her quietly, his voice heavy with the burden of the bad news, "She was gone long before you got here."

Petra immediately felt sick to her stomach and she leaned heavily against the table, her eyes wide and fixed on the lifeless body in front of her. She squeezed her eyes shut tightly and forced the lump in her throat down, she would _not_ allow herself to cry yet, not here, not now.

"What...was wrong?" she asked thickly.

"It look like a spontaneous pneumothorax," the vet informed her, "From the signs and symptoms you told me about on the phone. Did she experience any sort of trauma before this?"

Petra swallowed and nodded.

"She...she fell off the couch," she informed him, "But she was acting odd before that even. She hadn't eaten the food I put out last night and she was really shaky when she stood up. She was on the couch and when she stood up, she wobbled on her feet and fell off."

"It seems to me she had a lung collapse sometime during the night and then the added trauma caused the other to do the same," the Veterinarian told her gently, "Unfortunately, this is not an unusual occurrence in felines. Miss Ral, don't blame yourself for this, it wasn't anything you did. I see this often...it's just something we have no control over."

Petra walked out of the Vet's office with empty hands, Marty's body had been taken into the back to be cremated per city law. It didn't seem real to her as she drove home, she just felt like when she opened her apartment door that Marty would run out of her bedroom and paw at her legs and meow like she always did. It wasn't until Petra turned off her car in the parking lot and looked over at the empty passenger seat that it hit her...there were a few tufts of black fur stuck to the cloth of the seat and Petra laid across the center console to run her fingers over the strands of fur, and that was when she finally let the dam break. She sobbed loudly, tears falling onto her hands as they clutched at the fur, her shoulders shaking violently from the force of her despair.

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When Petra had cried herself out, she raised her head from the seat and looked at the radio and gasped when she realized how much time had passed, it was nearly four o'clock! She sat up quickly and rubbed at the marks on her face where the material had pressed into her skin.

She reluctantly got out of her car and wiped at her tear stained face with the back of her hand, her aching heart made it hard to even walk but she had to be at work in two hours...she had to pull herself together. She didn't even care that she was in sweatpants and her baggy green hoodie, she made her way through the lobby and up the steps towards her apartment, pushing open the door that was still cracked open from her sudden departure.

The noticeably quiet and still apartment was too much...she couldn't do this. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and dialed Krista's number.

"Krista, it's Petra...is there any way I can talk you into working my shift tonight at the club?"

Thankfully, Krista took the death of people's beloved pets very seriously and had cried into the phone a little before agreeing to come in for Petra that night. Petra reminded herself to do something exceptionally nice for the small blonde girl in the future and hung up the phone with a sigh...it was going to be a long and lonely night and she almost wished she hadn't called in because the silence of the apartment suddenly seemed too much to bear alone.

She plodded across the room and collapsed onto her couch, burying her face in the end pillow and shutting out the emptiness around her. She wasn't sure how long she'd been laying there when her phone buzzed loudly from the other end of the couch, she raised her head groggily to pick it up and look at the message one the screen. It was from Auruo.

 _ **6:10 PM: Hey, Krista told me about Marty. Are you ok?**_

 _ **6:10 PM: Mikasa said she'll cover my tables. I'm gonna come over.**_

 _ **6:10 PM: Reiner told me your address.**_

 _6:11 PM: Auruo, don't. I'll be fine._

 _ **6:15 PM: Too bad, already out the door. Be there by 7 at the latest, ok?**_

Petra didn't even have the will to respond, she just let her head fall back to the pillow. Time passed quickly, it seemed, and soon her phone was buzzing again and she looked at the screen with tired, bloodshot eyes.

 _ **6:45 PM: Just left my place, be there soon. I have something that's gonna make you feel better ;)**_

 _6:45 PM: Auruo, if you're making a dick reference right now, I swear to God..._

 _ **6:46 PM: Geez, Petra...**_

 _ **6:47 PM: Have a little faith in me for once? You'll see when I get there.**_

Petra sighed and set her phone down again...and waited, because there was nothing else to do at this point. Her body refused to move and her mind was blank and empty.

Just as he had promised, there was a knock on the door at exactly 7 PM and Petra pushed herself off the couch and onto her feet, she glanced back at the couch and realized she'd left a deep indention in the leather from where she'd been planted for the last three hours. Sighing, she meandered to the door and pulled it open to find Auruo standing the hall. He gave her a sad smile and then held out his hand to offer her something: the end of a dog leash. At that moment, the creature attached to the other end of the leash poked her smashed, huge-eyed face around the doorway and looked up at Petra. Immediately, the small dog's butt began to waggle with excitement and she pulled on the leash until Auruo had no choice but to follow and be pulled inside and Petra knelt down to pull the wiggly, excited animal into her arms and giggled at the fluff ball's enthusiasm as her face was covered in dog kisses.

"I figured you would probably feel better if there was another furry poop machine in the place for a bit," Auruo stated, he slid a backpack from his shoulder and laid it on her catch-all desk, "See? I wasn't making a dick joke earlier, I was referring to my dog, you pervert."

Petra stared at the wiggling ball of fur beneath her hands and then slowly raised her eyees to Auruo and the genuine look of empathy and understanding on his face made her heart jump into her throat...and she burst into tears all over again. Auruo looked horrified and quickly shut the door behind him and released Idjit's leash so his hands would be free, then he pulled her to her feet.

"Aww, Petra," his voice was soft and gentle in her ears and when he pulled her close in a tight, comforting hug, she melted into his arms gratefully, "Go ahead, get it all out."

And she did. How long they stood there like that, Petra wasn't sure, but he made no attempt to pull away and she didn't feel like she ever wanted to! He was warm, solid and he smelled so good, like cheap deodorant, a hint of cinnamon and something else that she couldn't quite place, something she knew was distinctly and uniquely Auruo.

"Hey, I brought you something from Eld," his voice broke her from her now silent and thoughtful state and she pulled back to look at him, "When he heard why you called in he said you might need it. He also said you should share it with me."

Petra, despite her guilt and misery, gave him a curious look. He grinned, stepping to the side, breaking their connection, and opened the backpack he'd laid on the desk. Petra wasn't sure exactly what she expected him to pull out of it, but it definitely wasn't a brand new, unopened bottle of Patrón Silver tequila, a bag of limes, and two shot glasses!

"Apparently you love tequila?" Auruo eyed the bottle with a raised eyebrow, "The fucking expensive kind too."

"Umm," Petra hesitated, "I'm not an alcoholic or anything, I just..."

"I wasn't accusing you of nothin'," Auruo assured her quickly, he picked up the items and nodded towards the kitchen for her to follow him. She did, in a haze, her heart still sore and her mind still foggy with disbelief...but, somehow, the presence of Auruo and Idjit had dulled the pain ever so slightly, to an almost manageable level.

Auruo set the bottle on the counter and laughed lightly, shaking his head, he looked over his shoulder at her with a mischievous glint in his eye.

"Tequila, huh?" he asked and she nodded sheepishly, dropping her eyes to the floor.

"Eld must have remembered from when I told him my first day at work," she said guiltily, but not sure exactly why she felt guilty at all.

"Well, go big or go home, I guess," Auruo chuckled and turned around to face her, leaning back against the counter and crossing his arms over his chest, he studied her with squinted eyes, "Have you eaten anything today?"

Petra blinked slowly and then shook her head. No...she hadn't even thought about it.

"Petra," Auruo's tone was scolding, "I can hear your stomach growling from over here. No tequila for you until you eat something."

"Ok, I'll make something," Petra said in a dull, automatic voice as she headed in the direction of the refrigerator, but she felt Auruo's hand close gently on her upper arm and he stopped her progress. Petra turned her head and gave him an odd look.

"How about you just take it easy and I'll make you something?" he said gently, steering her towards the kitchen table and pushing down on her shoulders until she finally gave in and sat in a chair, "Believe it or not, I can cook fairly good."

Petra ignored the obvious grammatical blunder and sat there quietly, watching him as he moved easily around the kitchen, looking like he knew exactly what he was doing. Not much later, Petra was staring down at a plate full of chicken fettuccine alfredo and she realized just how hungry she really was...she dug in immediately and was pleasantly surprised by how good it was.

"This is amazing," she said around a mouthful of noodled, Auruo rolled his eyes.

"Gross, don't talk with your mouth full," he said as he took a seat across the table from her, leaning back in the chair as he watched her eat, "And anyone can cook noodles, reheat chicken and pour a can of sauce over it."

She had to admit that was a fair statement and she continued eating without speaking again until her plate was empty in front of her. She sighed and sat back, patting her full belly.

"I'd love a shot or fifty now," she said.

"Let's start with one and see where that goes," Auruo said, laughing as he stood back up and made his way to the cupboard, ""Fifty might be a bit excessive."

Petra shrugged dully and stood to join him at the counter where he was slicing lime wedges and laying them on a plate. Petra grabbed the salt from her cupboard then she poured herself a shot and put a line of it on her hand between her finger and thumb. She knew Auruo was watching her with interest but she chose to ignore that fact as she licked the line of salt and tossed back her shot, setting the glass back down quickly and grabbing a lime to suck on, cutting the intensity of the alcohol. Her eyes dropped closed as the delicious burn spread down her throat and into her stomach...it was soothing and familiar.

When she opened her eyes, Auruo was looking at her with an eyebrow cocked, he looked slightly impressed.

"You didn't even make a face," he commented, "Most girls I know are all dramatic about it."

"Sounds like you need better drinking buddies," Petra replied easily, holding out the bottle in an offer to fill his shot glass.

"Eld and Gunther are pretty good," he said with a smile, accepting the offer and holding out his shot glass for her to fill, "But we do have a drinking buddy position open if you're interested."

Petra didn't answer. She just poured another salt line and another shot and threw it back easily, not even bothering with the lime this time. She did shake her head a little at the flavor but Auruo still looked pretty awed.

"I'm not an alchie, I swear," she said lamely when he continued to stare at her.

Auruo just shook his head with a smile and followed her steps, pouring the salt and taking the shot and ignoring the lime as well the first shot.

Soon enough, about six shots in, Petra was starting to giggle randomly and she wobbled slightly at the counter. Auruo smiled, only two shots in, and steadied her as he moved her from the kitchen to the living room and made her sit down on the couch.

"I want more," Petra argued, but she sat there without a fight and Idjit jumped up beside her and settled next to her leg, panting and tail wagging happily.

"Alright, alchie," Auruo laughed, "I'll bring it in here, but you only get two more and that's it. Alright?"

"I'm a grown woman," Petra insisted, "You can't tell me what to do."

Auruo rolled his eyes and shook his head, but he was true to his word and brought everything in and set it on the coffee table. He sat down next to her on the couch and watched with calculating eyes as she shakily poured herself her next shot, making sure she wasn't going to topple off the couch as she leaned over. She managed alright and took the shot, puckering at the taste of the lime at the end and that made Auruo laugh.

"Only one more," he informed her seriously, "Better enjoy it."

And she did...she savored the taste and the burning sensation and then she sat back on the couch, pulled her legs up underneath her. She felt the alcohol's effects washing over her, blurring her vision, making her limbs feel heavy and numb, her mind was slow and dull...and she no longer felt like crying. It was lovely. And, when she looked over at her friend who sat beside her on her couch, she thought he was lovely as well.

"Auruo," she said and she knew perfectly well that she slightly slurred his name, "Thank you so much for coming over. I...was so sad...and I didn't wanna be alone." 

Auruo noticed the slurring and her odd way of speaking and he smiled gently, amusement dancing in his eyes as he looked at her.

"Hey, no problem," he said quietly, and Petra noticed he blushed slightly before he looked away and her foggy brain couldn't comprehend his sudden change in countenance. "I'm here for you, Petra, anytime."

Oh, geez, how sweet was this guy? Every time she spent any amount of time with him she was struck by his honest friendliness and his genuine kindness...he was adorable. _Wait, what? Where did that come from?_ But it was true, she realized, she liked him...and LOT. Suddenly she felt the need to be closer and she scooted slightly and leaned into his shoulder, resting her head there and sighing. She felt him tense up for a moment and she looked at him, he was chewing the inside of his cheek thoughtfully.

"Auruo?" she whispered and he looked sideways at her, "Why are you so nice to me?"

"You know why," he replied simply, offering no further explanation.

"Because you like me?" Petra asked, although she knew the answer already. He nodded and looked off towards the kitchen where Idjit had trotted off to. "Why do you like me?"

That got his attention again and he laughed lightly, raising his arm her head was laying on. She thought maybe he was wanting her to get off him, so she started to sit up straight, but then he wrapped that arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer, so close that she could rest her cheek against his chest. She immediately felt like she could stay there forever, listening to the sound of his heart beating beneath her ear, the feel of his chest rising and falling as he breathed.

"I think that's something we should discuss when you're sober," he said softly, and she felt his hand ruffle her hair gently before coming to a rest on her upper back.

"I'm sober," she argued, even though she knew it was a lie.

"You're not at all," he informed her, "Although you do handle your alcohol fairly good."

Petra giggled. He'd said it again.

"Fairly good?" she teased, smiling despite the day's events and feeling...almost happy. "Your English is questionable at best."

Auruo nudged her with his knuckles and sniffed in annoyance.

"Well it's not my first language," he said.

Petra pulled back to look at him seriously.

"Really? What is?"

Auruo gave her a disbelieving look and furred his brow.

"Are you serious?" he asked with a bit of amusement, "French, you dim wit."

Petra remembered back when he had sung La Vie en Rose at the club and realized that she should have known that answer. Duh, it was obvious, his name was a dead giveaway. Suddenly she found herself leaning way too close to him, her eyes heavy-lidded and her voice low.

"That is so hot."

For a moment, he just stared at her, his face full of disbelief and then he blushed brightly and looked away.

"Geez," he muttered, "You really _are_ trashed."

"No, I'm not," she insisted, trying to prevent him from pulling away from her, she moved even closer and pushed against his chest gently in an effort to get him to lean back. He hesitated for a moment but then obeyed, looking wary. She took the opportunity and clamored onto his lap so she could look down at him...and she liked how this felt. "I'm just feeling confident!"

"I can tell," his voice sounded strained and he was watching her very closely, his hands hesitating at her sides, doing his best not to touch and encourage her sudden boldness.

Suddenly, Petra had a crazy desire in her fuzzy brain to kiss him. It just seemed like the perfect thing to do. So she decided not to think twice, if it felt right then it must be! She puckered her lips and started to lean into him, closing the distance quicker than she intended. But he pressed his hand over her mouth and gently pushed her back.

"Whoa, hey," he said with a laugh, "What are you doing?"

"I'm gonna kiss you," she told him like it was the simplest thing in the world, which if felt like it was.

"Oh no, you're not," he told her calmly, "As much as I like the idea, you're not kissing me until you're sober either. I think you need to go to bed."

Oh, yes! Bed, that was a good idea. That was the perfect place to continue this. Petra stood up eagerly, too eagerly, and wobbled unsteadily. Auruo caught her before she could trip and fall backwards over the coffee table and shook his head with a smile as he stood beside her and steered her in the direction of her bedroom.

"Alright, get in there," he told her when they had entered the room, he yanked her comforter down and aimed her for the clear spot on the sheets. Petra giggled and free fell into the softness of her bed and then she pulled the covers up and wiggled under them...suddenly her eyes were feeling heavy and the warmth of the blankets were like magic...she was drifting off before she could even think that she didn't want to.

Auruo watched as her eyed dropped closed and she began to snore lightly and he shook his head as he smiled down at her. He wouldn't deny that he was tempted to lay down with her and just hold her while she slept, play with her soft, copper hair...but he knew she would probably kill him if she found him there the next morning when the alcohol wore off.

"C'mere, Idjit," he whispered as the dog snuffled into the room, she sat by his feet and he picked her up and set her on the bed next to Petra. Idjit seemed to understand the gesture and she immediately curled up between Petra's arm and her side, laying her chin on her arm. Auruo eyed the two of them and he couldn't deny himself this one little thing...he leaned down and pressed and long but soft kiss to Petra's forehead before he left the room.

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 **Well, there you go :) Sorry about Marty but it was a necessary evil...you'll see.**


	12. Chapter 12

**YAY FOR NEW COMPUTERS WITH AWESOME KEYBOARDS AND THAT AREN'T DEAD!**

 **Thanks so, so, much reviewangel, one day soon I will shower you with gifts and awesome things!**

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When Petra awoke the next day her head was pounding and her mind was foggy and every speck of light made it feel like pins were being shoved in her eyeballs. She groaned loudly and pressed her palms into her eyes to block it out and apply much needed pressure to her throbbing head.

 _Bee Doop!_

The message alert on her phone made her jump nearly out of her skin and the sudden motion made her head hurt even worse, but she reached over to the bedside table and picked up her phone to read the message. It was from Auruo, of course, probably his usual morning greeting.

 _ **9:00 AM: You awake in there?**_

Wait… _in there?_ And then she remembered the previous day like a punch in the gut. Marty. Auruo came over with Idjit. She drank a lot. She tried to kiss him…oh shit!'

"Petra?" Auruo's voice reached her ears and she slowly peeked around her hands and saw him standing in her bedroom doorway, looking kind of sheepish. "Is, uh, is it ok I come in there?"

"Did we do anything last night!?" Petra blurted and Auruo stopped in his tracks to give her a surprised look.

"What if we did?" he asked slowly, one brow raised in a questioning way.

Petra wasn't sure how to answer right away. What if they had? She wasn't sure if she'd be angrier about him taking advantage of her or the fact that she couldn't even remember it to know whether it had been any good!

"I would tell the cops you got me drunk and raped me," she said seriously, giving him her best no nonsense glare.

"Relax, Petra, nothing happened," Auruo rolled his eyes and held something out for her, a bottle of water, "My mother raised me right, I don't sleep with drunk women."

Petra took the water gratefully and chugged half of it in one shot then she gasped in a breath as she set the bottle down in between her legs.

"Did I try to kiss you?" she asked quietly.

"Yep," Auruo didn't even hesitate his answer, "But you failed. Hey, get up, you gotta eat some breakfast because you and I have a lot to do today before work."

She opened her mouth to ask him what he meant by that but he was already out the door and she heard him clanking things around in the kitchen, singing a song she couldn't identify as he worked. She smiled despite her miserable body and rolled out of bed, still clad in her sweatpants and hoodie from the day before.

"Auruo," she called gently, trying not to yell to avoid the pain of her own voice reverberating in her head, "I'm gonna shower quick before breakfast."

"Go for it," he called back from the kitchen.

The warm water felt like heaven on her weakened and tired body, washing the previous day's filth and scent of alcohol off her skin. She scrubbed herself with her sea salt and lily body scrub until she was a bright red color and then she stepped out onto the bathmat and slipped on the pair of shorts and the tanktop she'd pulled from her drawer, wrapped her hair in a towel and piled it on top of her head, and headed for the kitchen.

Auruo turned around when he heard her coming to say something to her but he fell silent at the sight of her, a bright blush creeping into his cheeks as his eyes widened slightly. He scanned her up and down quickly before turning back around to fill their plates with bacon and eggs and toast. Petra shook her head with a smile and sat at the table to wait for him.

"Eat all of this even if you don't feel like it," he ordered her as he set her plate in front of her, followed by a cup of very black coffee. He went back and grabbed his own plate and cup and sat across from her at the table, his hazel eyes studying her face as he chewed a mouthful of toast.

Breakfast passed in relative silence and Petra was already feeling better by the time her plate was empty, she smiled across the table at her friend and he gave her a lopsided grin in return.

"Thank you for being here for me, Auruo," she said quietly, "I…was a wreck yesterday, wasn't I?"

"It's no problem, Petra," Auruo replied easily, he reached across the table and took her plate and stood to take the dishes to the sink, "If you ever need anything, just let me know. I mean that."

And she knew he did.

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"Don't you need to go to work today?" Petra asked as they walked down the hall with Idjit in tow. Auruo was taking her somewhere, but he refused to tell her where and she had agreed to let him drive even so he wouldn't have to tell her the address.

"Naw, got a call this morning saying the cement needs more time to set so construction is off for the day," he informed her with a smile, "So I am yours to do with what you please for the entire day."

Petra didn't say it out loud but she liked the sound of that…

"So where are we going?" she asked again, for the twentieth time, hoping he would crack and accidently tell her his plan. But he just shook his head and made a motion like a zipper over his lips, tossing the imaginary key away.

"It's a surprise," he told her, "You'll see."

"If you plan to drive me out to the boondocks and rape me, beware, I know Kung Fu," Petra teased, surprised that she even felt like teasing considering her previous day.

"Geez, Petra, what is with you and your rape jokes?" Auruo asked her, his nose wrinkled in distaste.

"Oh shut up," Petra groaned, but she knew he was right. She fell silent as they made their way across the parking lot to her car. Auruo whistled appreciatively at her vehicle before sliding into the driver's seat, running his hands appreciatively over the steering wheel.

"Nice ride, Ral," he gave her a playful wink, "Daddy's money?"

"Yes, actually," Petra groaned, "Now, please just drive and let's not talk about socioeconomic classes."

Auruo laughed easily and started driving in the direction of his secret location he swore up and down that she would recognize and love. She was thinking it would be the diner but they were going the opposite direction and so she had no idea anymore where they could possibly be going.

"Ok," Auruo said after about a twenty minute drive or so, "Close your eyes. Because if you don't, you'll ruin the surprise."

Petra rolled her eyes but obeyed, closing her eyes tight and willing herself not to open them until he told her to. She felt them pull into a lot somewhere from the telltale bump of the driveway and then the car came to a stop.

"Don't open them yet!" Auruo's voice was full of excitement and heard him roll down the window slightly before turning off the car, "I'm gonna leave Idjit in here for a bit. Don't move, I'll come around and get you. Keep those pretty eyes closed, Petra!"

 _Pretty eyes?_ He was too cute sometimes…

She heard her door open beside her and felt the chill of the September air on her side, and then she felt the warmth of Auruo's hand on hers as he guided her up and out of the car. The door shut behind her and his other hand came to rest on the small of her back, pushing gently in a signal for her to move forward. He was so close to her, his body putting off a heat she felt all the way through her jacket and double layers of clothing, his breath tickled the top of her hair every time he exhaled.

"You smell incredible," his words were a bit of a surprise and she almost opened her eyes to turn and look at him but she continued forward when he gave her another gentle push.

"Thank you," she replied graciously, "I noticed the same about you last night."

"What?"

"What?"

"You're lucky we're here now," Auruo growled lightly in her ear, "Or else you'd have to explain that one. You can open your eyes now."

Thank god! Petra was about to go mad from the suspense and his close proximity combined and she opened her eyes quickly. The first thing she noticed was a sign that read: _Karanese Animal Shelter._

 _Oh. Oh!_

"Oh, Auruo…" Petra felt tears stinging her eyes, threatening to spill over and roll down her cheeks, she sniffed loudly in an effort to fight them back.

"Oh, shit, Petra is it too soon? Are you one of those people who needs space for a while before getting a new pet?" he looked very worried, running his hand over the short hairs on the back of his neck.

"No…no, actually…I was so afraid of spending tonight alone after work," Petra whispered honestly, "Coming home to an empty apartment…I can't do that again."

"Then come on," Auruo gave her a light tug on her arm and nodded towards the entrance, "Let's go get you a furry thing to keep you company when I can't be there."

Petra let that one slide and went inside when he opened the door for her, which she thought was very sweet. They went right away to the featured adoption board on the wall and Petra scanned over the pictures with eager eyes. Muffin. Mr. Fluff. Peanut Butter.

"Hello, can I help you?" Petra spun around at the sound a woman's voice and came face to face with a kind looking blonde woman with bright blue eyes.

"I'd like to adopt a cat," Petra informed her, "I had to say goodbye to my cat of eight years yesterday and it's just too lonely in my apartment."

"I understand," and the lady truly did sound like she understood, "Follow me to the back and you can get in there with them all and see who catches your eye."

Petra and Auruo followed the blonde back around the front desk through a door and into a hallway, the last door on the left was labeled: "Kittens" and Petra tapped the woman on the shoulder as she leaned down to unlock the door to the kitten room.

"Um, sorry but, I'd like to see the adult cats," she informed her quickly. The blonde looked at her for a long moment and then her face broke into a huge smile.

"Oh, aren't you just a god-send! Most people want kittens!"

"Petra is definitely not most people," Auruo spoke up and Petra wondered if he meant that as a compliment or a quip at her expense, she assumed it was the former.

A few minutes later found Petra and Auruo standing in a room with a sea of cats at their feet. Tiny paws reached up, seeking their attention and Petra immediately sat down on the floor to be closer to them and was nearly buried in a pile of excited fur until Auruo pulled her back up to her feet.

"See any you like?" he asked her as he scanned the room for potential candidates, "What color do you want? Boy or girl?"

Petra just placed her hands on her hips and gave him a look of disbelief.

"You don't choose a cat for its color or its gender or even how cute it is," she informed him of her expertise, "You choose a cat by its personality and the presence of a deep emotional connection. It's like choosing a lover."

"Well, in that case, see any potential lovers?" Auruo's tone was teasing, but it also held a hint of hopefulness. She noticed he puffed his chest out slightly when she looked back at him. She grinned and gave him a wink.

"Maybe," she said, and it was the truth.

She did another visual sweep of the room and she zoned in on one…

"Auruo, can you get one of the staff in here?" she asked, cocking her head as she examined the cat she had in mind.

Auruo leaned out into the hall and got the attention of another worker, a short, plump dark haired woman with a sour expression.

"Yeah?" the woman asked, her tone not friendly at all.

"Can you tell me about that cat?" Petra pointed at the one she was referring to: a large, slate grey pile with blazing gold eyes that were so wide with fear that she could see the white around them. Its tail lashed angrily and a low growl was emitting from it. Auruo's jaw dropped when he traced the line of sight from her finger to the monstrous cat on the corner of the upper cat shelf.

"That's Bastard," the worker informed her dully, "As you can see, he's mean and hates everyone. I wouldn't pick that one if I were you. Anything else?"

"No, thank you, I've heard enough," Petra dismissed the worker with a false smile and the dark haired woman left with a shrug.

"Petra, are you crazy?" Auruo asked, his voice a bit higher pitched than normal, "That thing looks like it could kill us!"

"Calm down," Petra giggled, watching the grey cat's body language. Already, since the dark haired worker had left, his hackles had fallen and his eyes were not as wide, his tail was still. "Watch the master."

Petra stepped forward and headed for the cat, not making direct eye contact with it but focusing her eyes on its back instead. She kept her pace slow but not too slow and she spoke softly and kindly and genuinely, her hand up in a relaxed reach towards the cat to let it know her intentions ahead of time.

"Hey there, handsome boy. Bastard, well that's a really dumb name for such a pretty boy. Is it alright if I pet you, baby? You want to come home with me and my friend, Auruo?"

"Petra…" Auruo warned her warily from behind.

But she ignored him and continued her approach…and the cat accepted her hand as she slid it over its head and scratched him gently behind the ears. Then, lo and behold, Bastard stood on his feet and stretched a mighty stretch, revealing just how large of a cat he truly was and then loud out a friendly vibrating meow, his loud purr filled the room. Petra laughed and reached up with both hands, pulling him down off the cat shelf and holding him close to her chest…and the tears came. Big, fat drops fell from her lashes and down her face onto the grey fur in her arms, her heart swelled with love for her new companion and there was no doubt in her mind he was the right choice.

Auruo stood there watching in disbelief and then he smiled a massive smile and stepped slowly and carefully around the cats on the floor and made his way to her side, wary of upsetting the cat in her arms. But Bastard just watched him with mild interest and meowed in greeting when he stood beside Petra.

"Wow," he whispered, genuinely impressed, "You really have a way with them, huh?"

"He hates that lady," Petra informed him, "As soon as she left he started to relax. Cats are all about body language and I didn't see anything about his that I wasn't feeling towards her myself."

Auruo laughed loudly, sending some of the skittish cats running for the hidey holes.

"Well, sounds like you are two of a kind then. Come on, let's sign the papers and get your little Bastard home."

"I'm not keeping that stupid name," Petra muttered grimly as they left the room with her brand new friend.

Auruo had insisted on paying the adoption fee no matter how long and hard Petra argued against the idea. When he signed the papers and the lady handed him the cat, Petra reached out for him, but Auruo turned away and held him out of reach.

"Now, Petra, I bought this cat so technically it belong to me," he informed her, his eyes held a playful glint, "I'll give him to you if you do something for me."

"What might that be?" Petra squinted her eyes, wary of his request.

"Go on a date with me."

Petra's worry disappeared and she smiled sweetly up at him, then she motioned for him to come closer and lean down so she could whisper in his ear, which he did and she cupped her hand over her mouth and pressed her lips ever so gently to the tip of his ear in a small kiss before whispering:

"How about we skip the formalities and just get down to the being a couple thing?"

The grin that split Auruo's face was the biggest she'd ever seen on him yet and he held the cat out to her eagerly.

"You drive a hard bargain, but I accept!"

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When they arrived back at the apartment, Auruo announced he had to leave so he could get ready for work at the club that night.

"You and Bastard have a good afternoon and I will see you tonight at work," he told her as he clipped Idjit back onto her leash. He stood back up and looked down at her with a smile. "Petra…you meant what you said earlier? You really do want to be my girlfriend?"

"Of course I do!" Petra was surprised that he was doubting her, "Why wouldn't I?"

"It's just…" he rubbed the back of his neck again, a nervous habit of his, "I can't hardly believe it. Hey, I'm a pretty lucky guy."

"Yes you are," Petra giggled, "Now you better get going because it'll be six before you know it. But…first…"

And she wasn't sure where the boldness came from, but she knew one thing…she wanted to do this even more than she had last night. She grabbed him by the front of his shirt and tugged insistently until he came down to her level and she captured his lips in a kiss before he even knew what was coming. His eyes went wide for a brief moment and she felt him smile into her mouth before he joined in with matched enthusiasm. This was so good, Petra thought to herself, his lips were steady and sure and surprisingly soft…Auruo Bossard was an A-class kisser, and she would know because college had been a very experimental time for her. No one had ever kissed her like this, there was something he put into it that no one before him had.

When they broke apart, Petra kept her eyes closed and her lips parted for a long moment, savoring the sensation to keep it locked in her memory. When her eyes fluttered open, he was looking back at her with a matching expression of a hormone induced high.

"Wow," he whispered, "I really need to leave now or I'll never want to."

Petra giggled and turned him around gently by the shoulders and pushing against his back to move him in the direction of the door, effectively kicking him out.

"Maybe I'll give you another one tonight," she said with a wink and then she shut the door before he could even respond, but she didn't miss the look of excitement in his eyes at her words.

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 **Sorry the ending was a bit rushed, my husband is nagging me to go to sleep :/**


	13. Chapter 13

**Ok, got some time to work on making this chapter a bit longer and more detailed since no one can tell me to go to sleep!**

 **Unless the county is just super busy, and I have to drive all over the State of Missouri (it happens some days, I've been to St. Louis, Springfield and Columbia all in one day before taking transfers), I should have plenty of time!**

 **Guess I'm Falling 4 U- Michael Buble**

 **Hymne à L'àmour – Josh Groban**

 **French translations came from Google Translate so, please don't kill me if anyone speaks legit French out there! I wish I did, but I don't!**

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That evening when Petra walked in the kitchen of the club, she was immediately met with Sasha and Hanji's giggles and they immediately jumped away from eachother with matching, knowing grins…Petra had the idea that they had just got done sharing some juicy gossip.

"What's the story?" she asked, interested despite herself.

"What makes you think there's a story?" Hanji asked, feigning innocence. Sasha mirrored the wide-eyed look of surprise on her co-worker's face and Petra glanced from one face to the other with growing concern.

"Are you guys ok?" she asked.

Jean sighed loudly as he exited the walk in fridge with his arms full of chicken breasts, he rolled his eyes when Petra looked at him questioningly.

"You're the story, Petra," he informed her, much to the dismay of Sasha and Hanji, "It's all anyone has been talking about since Auruo left yesterday when you called in. Everyone thinks there's a big scandal going or some shit."

Petra stared at Jean with her mouth hanging open in shock.

"He…just…came over to help me…my cat…" she was unable to defend herself.

"You don't have to give me any details," Jean dropped the chicken in a large bowl and put his hands up defensively, "I'm not interested in what you two do on your own time, thanks!"

Petra was so done with this discussion and she left the kitchen with an annoyed growl, seeking the familiarity of her hostess desk. But as soon as she walked through the door into the main room, she realized there was no escape, especially from Gunther, Eld and Marco who were gathered over by the bar, talking in low voices. Petra narrowed her eyes at them as she passed and, for a moment, she thought they were going to let her pass…but Gunther's arm shot out and she was pulled onto the bar stool between him and Marco.

"Spill it," he grunted simply.

"How did you two like the tequila?" Eld's question was a _little_ more civil.

"Are you ok, Petra?" Marco's worried face was her life raft and she zoned in on him, "I'm so sorry about your cat!"

"It was terrible, but I'm gonna be ok," she informed him, grateful for the chance at normal conversation with a normal and caring person, "This afternoon I got a new cat from the shelter. Auruo took me to…"

 _Damn it!_ She had walked right into that one.

"Auruo took you, huh?" Gunther leaned in so close that their shoulders touched and he gave her the biggest shit-eating grin she'd ever seen in her life.

She was really, really tired of their prying and she spun her barstool around, jumping off before any of them could stop her, she fled the bar as fast as her kitten heels would allow and she didn't stop until she was safe behind her desk. Or at least, she thought she was safe…until Auruo walked through the back door, early for once, and immediately made his way across the room towards her.

"Hey, dewdrop," greeted her with a wink, but she noticed he said it softly enough so only she heard it, and she was very grateful for that, "How's Bastard settling in?"

"He sniffed around for a while, but as soon as he found the food bowl he was set for life," she replied easily, despite the fact that she _knew_ Eld, Gunther and Marco were watching, "And stop calling him that stupid name."

"Well, what should I call him then?" Auruo asked with a sniff of annoyance, but his eyes were bright with mischief. Petra vaguely wondered what he thinking about that was causing him to look so damn smug.

"I'll figure that out when I get home and spend some time with him," she explained, "Sometimes you can't just pick a name. You have to get a feel for them first."

"Alright, alright," Auruo rolled his eyes, "Well, when you figure it out, let me know."

"Deal."

She expected him to push away from her desk and start prepping his tables, but he just stayed there, leaning against it and staring at her with a thoughtful expression.

"Hey…you're not like...trying to keep us a secret, are you?" his question came out of nowhere and Petra looked at him in amazement.

"I…what? No, I just didn't want to shout it from the rooftops before I knew if you wanted me to or not." And it was the truth, she realized. She was in no way ashamed of their new titles…not at all, and she suddenly felt like running back over to the bar and shouting the truth to those three goofballs.

"So…I can tell people the truth if they happen to ask?" he asked, sounding far too pleased with himself.

"You can tell the Prime Minister of England for all I care," Petra assured him, "I don't mind people knowing."

Her words seemed to hit him the wrong way from how his brow scrunched and she realized it may have sounded like she didn't care about it at all. Auruo pushed away from the desk, looking somewhat unsure about their discussion and began to back up to set up his tables.

"Auruo," she said quickly before he could leave, "I meant I don't mind people knowing…because I am totally happy about being your girlfriend and its fine by me if the whole world knows."

"That's better," he sighed, looking relieved. He gave her a smile and the pep returned to his step as he headed to the back for his tables' candles.

The evening proceeded as it always did, people began pouring in as soon as the door opened and she showed them to their tables, introducing them to their waiters as she went. Technically, it wasn't her job to introduce them, but it was something she enjoyed doing as a nod of appreciation for the work they did and also a way to encourage the patrons to tip better. One night, a customer had left a note for Mikasa with a $50 bill inside that said "The hostess was right, you are very good at your job!"

By the time the crowd was chanting Auruo's name, as they always did once the regulars started it, Petra had just about forgotten their earlier exchange about letting the world know about them…but it was all about to come flooding back to her. Auruo walked up to the stage, shaking his head as he always did when the crowd insisted on his singing, and he spoke to the band fairly quickly and received a few nods in reply to his request, then he turned around and stepped up to the mic.

"Gonna do this a little different tonight," he announced, his voice filling the room made Petra look up in surprise since he usually just started to sing, not make announcements. "Tonight I'm gonna dedicate this song to someone."

Petra's stomach flipped nervously when he looked over at her and grinned, the spotlight slid across the room and she silently begged the powers that be to prevent the light from reaching her…no such luck, she was suddenly sitting there at her hostess desk under the bright circle, blinking in surprise as every eye turned to look at her. All she could do was smile shyly and duck her head.

"That beautiful girl, your hostess tonight, finally agreed to go out with me after I practically begged her for a week! So, Petra, here's to you."

Petra halfway wanted to sink into the floor and disappear and half want to puff out her chest. It wasn't every day that a very talented singer dedicated a song to you…

For once, she didn't recognize the song, but the lyrics were adorable and she found herself smiling broadly as he sang smoothly and perfectly, as he always did.

"When I look into your eyes I see sunshine. The cloud are blown away, I hope you're here to stay 'cause you've got me needin' more of you. Guess I'm fallin' for you. You walk away, my eyes caress you then you turn and smile; you caught me thinkin' of love with you. Guess I'm fallin', I may be fallin' for you."

And then he did something completely new…he held out his hand behind him and Ymir, who was currently not playing her instrument, handed him a cordless microphone and he took the tiny time between verses to trade out. He made his way off the stage and began a slow, determined stroll in her direction, playing the crowd, but still obviously focused on her as he continued the song with a bit of a tempo increase.

"Since I met you, days are brighter, life's uneven loads are lighter when I hear you whisper the words I long to hear, dear. Now I look into your eyes, I'm lost in knowin' that you are all I want, my need for you is growin'."

And he reached her location then, and he leaned casually against her desk, but closer than earlier that night.

"Guess I'm fallin', I think I'm fallin' for you."

A slight hesitation in the music and he held his hand out to her, an offering for her to take it…so she did, and she stood before him in front of the entire club, friends and strangers, but she didn't see them because she was so entranced by the moment, a perfect moment worthy of her favorite romance novels.

"Think about fallin' for me too."

And as he trailed off, the look in his eyes told her exactly what he planned next and she closed her eyes slowly and allowed it. He leaned down as the piano played out the final notes of the song and kissed her softly and for a moment longer than Petra thought he would in a professional setting…it was perfect.

When he pulled back and she opened her eyes he gave her a huge grin and a wink before he turned and trotted back up on stage. The crowd loved the little show he'd put on and they were cheering loudly and whistling as he went back to stand before the stationary mic again.

"Alright, alright, alright," he sounded way too happy and looked way too smug, but it was sort of adorable, "Now, for the young lady in the back there who requested this song, I'll get to it!"

The piano began to play softly after a quick conference with the band, and Marlow pulled out an instrument Petra had never seen him use before, a guitar. Armin had gone around and pulled out his accordion again and Petra leaned forward eagerly, hoping this was what she thought it was going to be…and it was. Auruo began to sing in smooth, perfect French, blending well with the guitar and piano and Petra closed her eyes to block out any unnecessary distractions and listened closely as the words she didn't understand swept over her…it didn't matter if their exact meaning didn't register, the feeling of the song and the smooth tones of his voice was all she cared about.

It was unlike any song Auruo had ever sung at the club before, much more classical and less Jazz, lots of rises and falls, soft and tender to loud and intense…his voice hit levels she'd not known he was capable of, and, apparently, no one else knew either because when she opened her eyes as the song began to fade away she saw that everyone was staring with jaws dropped. Even Levi had emerged from his back office and was leaned against the bar with his arms crossed over his chest, his expression bored but his eyes showed surprised interest.

"Sorry if that was…a bit different," Auruo apologized and Petra could see his blush from across the room, "I, uh, I'll let you get back to your Jazz now."

The crowd laughed and cheered as he left the stage and went back to his table section, Levi pushed away from the bar and disappeared into the back again, but Petra continued to replay the two songs over and over in her mind, smiling to herself all night long.

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Finally, the last customer of the night walked out the door and Gunther locked it behind her. As soon as he removed the key from the lock, he spun around and fixed Petra in an excited stare, his mouth pulled into a wolfish grin.

"You are good, Petra Ral," he exclaimed, "The way you acted earlier I thought for sure nothing had happened the past two days between you two! I knew you two wouldn't last long!"

Petra rolled her eyes and made her way to the bar where everyone was gathering, leaving Gunther to follow behind her like an excited puppy. She slid onto the bar stood next to where Auruo was leaning with his arms crossed on the counter, laughing about something Eld had said as he accepted a bottle of water from the blond.

Of course the topic of discussion was the two new lovebirds and they patiently answered random questions and explained their trip to the animal shelter and Auruo's stubborn diligence in asking her out every day. Levi came out from the back eventually and leaned against the counter next to Auruo. Their height difference was comical, Petra mused.

"Auruo, what was that French song you sung tonight?" Eren asked suddenly, and Petra was glad he asked because she had been wondering it too.

"Hymne à L'àmour," Auruo replied easily, sounding somewhat bored.

"It was beautiful," Petra said softly, but Auruo heard her perfectly and he turned to look at her with a sly grin.

"Last night you said it was 'so hot'," he reminded her teasingly.

"I was drunk!" Petra defended herself quickly, not even thinking about how that might sound to everyone else, "Besides, I've only ever heard you sing in French, you might completely suck at speaking it."

"I don't think I would suck at speaking my own native language, you brat," he said with slight annoyance in his tone, but the playful glint in his eyes betrayed him.

"Prove it," Petra challenged, delighted at the possibility of hearing it.

Auruo considered her for a long moment, then his lips curled into a wicked grin and he turned to face her.

"Savez-vous ce que nous devrions faire? Nous devrions totalement baiser sur le bureau de Levi. Comment ça sonne?"

 _*Translation: Do you know what we should do? We should totally fuck on Levi's desk. How's that sound?*_

Petra was about to comment on how pretty that had sounded but she was cut off by Levi's angry voice and the sight of Auruo being shoved roughly from behind by the much shorter man.

"Get the fuck out of here, Bossard," Levi growled, "If I catch you anywhere NEAR my desk I will castrate you with the dullest knife I can find in the kitchen!"

Auruo just laughed and ran for the door, snagging his jacket from the employee coat rack as he went, as he pushed it open, he nodded for Petra to follow and she excused herself quickly before sliding off the stool and grabbing her own jacket, slipping out of the building underneath his arm as he held the door for her.

"Oh my god, what did you say back there?" she laughed loudly once they were in the parking lot, "Levi was so angry!"

Auruo just laughed along with her, but he shook his head and offered no explanation.

"Want to go to the diner for a bit?" he deflected her question.

Petra looked at him for a long moment, debating whether or not to continue her attempt at getting the answer to her question. Finally she figured he would explain when he was ready and she nodded.

"Sure, tomorrow is Saturday so neither of us have an early day, right?" she asked, fairly certain that was how his schedule worked, "You only work here tomorrow?"

"Yeah," he seemed surprised at her knowledge, "How do you know that? Oh my god…you're a stalker, aren't you!?"

Petra blushed brightly…well, he was sort of right about that.

"I am not!" she immediately defended herself, "Gunther told me when and where you work!"

Auruo just smiled and he started walking in the direction of the diner, Petra followed quickly and fell into step beside him and she noticed him watching her out of the corner of his eye.

"So that's how you found the library I work at, huh, Ladybug?" he said slowly, carefully judging her reaction. Petra looked at him in shock when she realized the implication of the nickname.

"You…oh, damn it, you saw me there?" she asked.

"Yeah, you're not as sneaky as you think you are," he teased, "Also, the book you borrowed is still in your car."

When they reached the diner, they went to their booth in the back and sat across from eachother. Petra scanned the menu, surprised at how hungry she felt after their long day, but Auruo just sat there studying her face…and it made her too nervous to ignore.

"What!?" she snapped, a little more harshly than she intended.

Auruo looked genuinely surprised by her venomous tone and he jerked back from where he'd been leaning his chin on his palm, his eyes wide.

"Sorry," he said quickly, "You just…you're…beautiful."

Petra immediately regretted her temper flare and she softened her gaze to let him know she wasn't really mad.

"Oh," she said quietly, "Thanks."

"Yeah."

The waitress came then and they each ordered a coffee and Petra ordered a burger and fries.

"So, what did you say back at the club?" she asked nonchalantly as she took a massive bite of her burger. Auruo eyed her warily for a moment and seemed to decide that while her mouth was full was a good time to reveal the mystery.

"I asked if you wanted to go fuck on Levi's desk," he admitted.

Petra, despite her mouth being full to the point of looking like a chipmunk with nuts in its cheeks, made a loud sound of shock and she gave him a look of wide-eyed horror. She began chewing faster, trying to avoid choking in her haste to gain her speaking ability again. Finally she swallowed the mass of burger and gasped in a breath.

"AURUO BOSSARD!" she shrieked, "We haven't even been dating for an entire day!"

"I wasn't serious, Petra, geez," he blushed and looked down into his coffee cup, "Lighten up."

Petra growled and took another bite of her burger, stewing silently as she glared at him…but the look on his face as he watched her chewing angrily with amusement made her start to relax and see the funny side of the situation. She swallowed the bite and smiled as she shook her head.

"Apparently Levi knows French too," she mused.

"Guess so," Auruo chuckled, "Who knew?"

"He was like an angry squirrel!"

"Small as one too."

They both burst into loud laughter and all the previous tension fell away, Auruo snatched a couple of fries off Petra plate and they both leaned back against their booth seat looking relaxed and at ease.

"I have an idea," Petra suggested as she nibbled on the end of a fry, "Let's play a game."

Auruo looked intrigued.

"What kind of game?" he asked warily.

"Well…not a game, I guess," Petra admitted, "More llike…we ask questions to get to know eachother better."

"Like Truth or Dare?"

"More like Truth or Truth."

"What are the rules?"

Petra cocked her head and thought about it for a moment.

"Just one. You HAVE to answer the question asked to you and you have to answer your own question as well."

Auruo nodded his agreement to the terms and crossed his arms over his chest in preparation for the onslaught.

"You first," he suggested.

"Ok, fine," Petra hesitated for a moment as she considered what she might ask, "Favorite color?"

"Are you serious?" Auruo rolled his eyes, "That's the most typical question you could ever ask. Ugh, green, what about you?"

"Red."

"Makes sense. So, if we're going typical here, how about favorite…animal?"

"Zebra. You?"

"Dogs."

Petra smiled at that answer.

"Even Idjit?" she asked, remembering his sarcasm about the pile of buck-toothed fur and the pile of photos on his FaceSpace page that told a different story.

"Especially that stupid mutt," Auruo admitted grudgingly, "She's an ugly little shit, but there's no denying she's a good dog."

"My turn," Petra was enjoying her little game, and she had a few more difficult question in the back of her mind that she was leading up to, "So if your first language is French, when did you learn English?"

"I started learning it when I was six," Auruo replied simply, "I was born in France and my parents immigrated here not long after my sixth birthday."

Petra imagined a little six year old Auruo with a wild mop of ashy blond hair, running around and jabbering in little kid French…it was the cutest image she had ever imagined in her life and she found herself smiling widely and giggling.

"Oh, I bet you were a freaking adorable little kid," she said, sharing her thought out loud.

Auruo shrugged and then took a drink of his coffee, when he set it down he chewed the inside of his cheek for a moment, something Petra noticed he did a lot. In fact, he always seemed to be chewing on something. Usually his lips, cheeks or tongue but she'd also seen him nibble the sides of his thumbs and she realized he probably had some sort of subconscious oral fixation, she didn't think he even realized he was doing it half the time.

"So, I'll let you have that one for free," he said with a cocky grin, "What's your biggest fear?"

"Having my skin peeled off with a carrot peeler," Petra replied honestly.

Auruo just stared at her for the longest time, his eyes filled with horror at her words…and then he burst into loud, raucous laughter. He laughed so hard that he slapped the table as he tried desperately to take a breath and he buried his head in his arms on the table, his entire form shaking.

"What?!" Petra asked, laughing a little bit despite the mental image in her mind of bloody carrot peelers, "Wouldn't that scare _you_?"

"I…it…y…yes!" Auruo gasped air into his lungs, his face bright red and his eyes wet with tears, "Oh my god, Petra, how did you even think of that?!"

"How have you NOT thought about that?!" Petra asked seriously but teasing him at the same time, "Every time I get anywhere near a cheese grater I can't even handle it!"

"Stop!" Auruo started laughing again, "You're...you're…gonna kill...me!"

Petra didn't want to stop, ever. She wanted to make him laugh like this all the time, every day so she could listen to the sound of it and look at the adorable laugh lines at the corners of his eyes, the lines around his mouth deep from the force of his smile, his cheeks red and his eyes bright hazel, the color of toffee flecked with bright pricks of green. He was beautiful in the moment, all the hard lines of his face were gone, and the sharp angles of his jaw seemed to soften…it was like she was looking into his soul when he laughed like this, a side of him he kept pushed down deep inside himself.

She must have had an odd expression on her face because when he finally calmed enough to really get a good look at her, his laughter immediately melted away, his eyes guarded once again. Back to the smug and snarky Auruo she knew well…and she missed his laughing side already.

"What?" he asked, his voice had gone from amused to nervous in the span of mere seconds.

"You're…you're really adorable when you laugh," Petra admitted quietly.

Auruo looked at her in silence for a moment and then smiled lightly and leaned back against the back of the booth again.

"So I have to tell you my biggest fear?" he clarified.

"Yes," Petra encouraged him, "And you can't lie. Please, this isn't just a game, this is for us to get to know eachother better. So…your biggest fear is…?"

"Not being good enough."

Petra blinked slowly, but she knew from the tense set of his jaw and the mirthless look in his eyes that he was telling the truth.

"Good enough for what?" she asked gently.

"Anything. Everything. Next question, please." He clearly was not up for discussing this.

"Ok." Petra let it go, not wanting to make him uncomfortable on their first official date, "Favorite movie?"

"Jurassic Park. The original. You?"

"I like scary movies of any kind. I'm…kind of a major Halloween buff."

They went on like this for quite some time and learned a lot about eachother. Auruo loved Jazz and easy listening and classical music because it was what his mom had always listened to while he was growing up. Petra's dad was a very successful owner of the city newspaper. Auruo lived in the neighborhood he did because he wanted to send as much money home to his family as possible and it was the cheapest option. Petra had to sleep with a body pillow or she would toss and turn all night long.

"So you were crazy in college, huh?" Petra brought out one of her top questions at a time she thought they were at ease enough to safely ask. Auruo immediately fell silent and his face took on a very, very unhappy look.

"You could say that," he said quietly, "But I suppose you want details?"

"I just don't think anything you did could have been that bad," she assured him.

"Well I didn't kill anyone," he attempted a joke and it fell horribly flat in the moment, "Basically I drank a ton, stole what alcohol I couldn't afford, smoked a little weed…and…"

He looked away, his eyes dropping to the table top in shame.

"And?" But she already knew the answer, she just wanted him to get it out.

"I slept around a lot, alright?" he blurted quickly, blushing to the very tips of his ears, looking so innocent despite his admission. "And, just in case you're wondering, no I didn't get any diseases."

"I was NOT wondering that, thanks," it was Petra's turn to blush, "And…I'm not exactly innocent either. College was a very…experimental time."

Auruo cocked an eyebrow at that one.

"What exactly does _that_ mean?" he asked, clearly interested.

"It means I may have slept with a few guys and kissed a few girls, are you satisfied now?" Petra rolled her eyes.

"You…just don't seem like the type to…let yourself go like that," Auruo mused, tapping his jaw with one finger, thinking deeply, "You're not like that anymore."

"Neither are you," Petra reminded him, and then she was hit hard by the memory of that picture of April and him together and her jealousy bubbled up before she even knew it was happening, "Unless you were with April before me?"

"April?" Auruo's brows rose high into his hairline and he gave her an amused look, "We went on one date and she was all over me the entire night. She's scary as hell. Are you…wait...you went through my pictures?!"

Petra ducked her head but nodded.

"Yes…"

"I knew you were a stalker."

"I won't deny it."

"Were you jealous when you saw that picture she tagged me in?" he teased, his eyes full of mischief.

Petra stuck her chin out defiantly.

"So what if I was?" she asked hotly, "You're my boyfriend now so I'm allowed to be jealous!"

"Ah, but I wasn't then," he reminded her with a wink.

She had to admit…he was right. She was about to continue their questioning but Auruo yawned, such a huge yawn that it made her look down at her phone to check the time. 4 AM!

"Oh my gosh," she yelped, "It's super late! You need to get some sleep!"

Auruo nodded unhappily, but he stood up and went to pay for their coffees and Petra's food, which made her feel immediately guilty for eating…next time she was going to pay for their date, his pride be damned. He came back to the booth and held a hand out for her and she stood up and walked beside him to the exit.

"Would you like me to drive you home?" Petra offered, "Your little secret is out so you can accept it now, you know?"

"It's too late for you to be out driving alone," he said firmly, "I'll take the subway, it'll be fine."

Petra eyed him thoughtfully for a moment, imagining him riding home, all alone, on the dingy, dirty subway and her heart squeezed unhappily.

"Or…you could stay at my place tonight," she offered.

Auruo opened his mouth to tell her no, she could tell by the way his head tilted in an unhappy way…but he was cut off by another massive yawn and when it ended his eyes were glassy and his eyelids were dropping noticeably.

"You need sleep," Petra told him, gripping his arm and leading him in the direction of her car, "I have a guest bedroom, you can crash there for tonight."

"Gotta…feed Idjit…" Auruo's voice was starting to slur as Petra opened the passenger side door and pushed him gently inside, closing it behind him once he dragged his long legs inside. By the time she got around to the driver's side, he was fast asleep. Petra slid into the driver's seat and giggled at the sight of Auruo with his head thrown back against the seat, his mouth hanging open, gravelly snoring filling the small space of the car. She shook her head with a smile and pulled out into the street and headed for home.

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Petra pulled into her parking space and got out to go around and wake up her snoring boyfriend, carefully opening the door so he didn't fall right out onto the asphalt. She leaned down and spoke into his right ear as she gently shook his shoulder.

"Auruo, we're here, you have to wake up enough to get to the apartment. I can't carry you, you know."

Auruo's eyes fluttered open and he turned to look at her, his brows scrunched in the confusion of his groggy, half awakened state. Then he gave her a small smile and stretched before forcing himself to get out of the car and stand on his own feet. They made their way inside and up to her apartment on the fifth floor.

"Alright, I have a spare toothbrush in the medicine cabinet and you're welcome to it," Petra informed him when she opened her apartment door, I'm gonna feed the cat while you get ready for bed."

"M'kay," Auruo mumbled and he stumbled off to the bathroom and slammed the door a bit loudly behind him. Petra was beginning to feel the lateness of the hours as well and she nearly fell over when she leaned down to fill up the cat bowl.

She heard the sound of Auruo brushing his teeth through the bathroom door as she walked to her room to put on her pajamas and then she heard the door open and she went back out to show him where the guest bedroom was…and she stopped in her tracks the second she stepped out of her room. Auruo stood there, eyes half closed, head lolling as he practically fell asleep on his feet, wearing nothing but a pair of red boxers, his clothes draped over his arm.

"Oh, you poor thing," she murmured in sympathy, but she was scanning him up and down in great appreciation, taking in every lean line of muscle under his well-tanned skin. She turned him gently in the direction of the guest room and gave him a light push against the small of his back to make him move. He slowly plodded along as she kept pressure on his back until his knees bumped the edge of the bed and he fell flat on his face among the sheets and comforter of the guest bed, not even possessing the strength to pull said sheets and comforter over himself. He was already snoring lightly from the pressure of the pillow on his nose.

Petra rolled her eyes with a smile and yanked the comforter out from under him and took one last look at his long legs and his bare torso before she pulled it up and over his shoulders to cover him up and keep out the chill of the fast approaching Autumn that had crept into her apartment the last few days. She also gently turned his head so he could breathe better and she was relieved that the snoring stopped and turned into the soft sound of his unobstructed breathing. She allowed her hand to linger on the side of his face for a moment as she took in his features as they were in that moment, softened by sleep. He looked so peaceful and so innocent like this…almost angelic. She slid her hand through the ashy mop of hair on top of his head, shaking her head with a soft smile at his silly undercut style…it was wonderfully soft and she wanted to stay and play with it for a long time, but her own bed was calling her name and her eyes were feeling heavy.

Before she left, she bent down and pressed a soft kiss to his left temple.

"Goodnight, Auruo," she whispered, "Can't wait to see you again in the morning."

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 ***passes out because the image of a deeply sleeping Auruo is too adorable***

 **Wow, almost 6,000 words in one chappie? Guess I was inspired today. Well…I feel about like how Auruo feels, ready to fall asleep on top of my covers, so I am hitting the hay!**


	14. Chapter 14

**My brain hurts today…tomorrow is my third 24 hour shift in a row and yesterday we ran ALL DAY AND NIGHT nonstop so I am really, really out of it right now…so I hope this chapter makes sense xD**

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Petra woke up around noon the next day and she sniffed a few times as her groggy brain tried to figure out what the wonderful smell invading her nose was, then her ears were filled with the sound of whistling…oh, right, Auruo had crashed in her guest room for the night. She smiled at the memory of him laying there in his boxers, face smashed into the pillow, his hair sticking out in all directions…he was pretty adorable sometimes.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the appearance of the very man who had consumed her brain, he was smiling at her and held a tray in his hands, piled high with waffles.

"I…uh…thanks for letting me crash here last night," he said, sounding kind of nervous as he approached and handed her the tray. "I…made you breakfast."

Indeed he had. The tray contained a plate with two fat, golden waffles stacked on top with a perfect dollop of whipped cream slowly melting from the heat of them upon the top one, a ramekin filled with strawberry pieces off to one side, a glass of orange juice and a napkin wrapped around a fork. Petra had never had anyone do something so cliché and sweet before in her life!

"Thank you, Auruo, but you didn't have to do this," she said, blushing from his thoughtful act. He just shrugged, looking a little more at ease now that she had accepted the breakfast and he took a seat on the bed as she curled her legs underneath her to balance the tray.

"It wasn't a problem," he replied nonchalantly, "I got up this morning to go home and feed and walk Idjit."

Petra took a bite of waffle and her eyes dropped shut in ecstasy.

"Oh my god, these are _so good_ ," she moaned, "I didn't know you could cook!"

"Oh yeah," Auruo puffed out his chest and grinned, "I made them from scratch, I have my mother's secret recipe memorized."

Petra was impressed and she looked at him with pleased curiosity.

"Really?"

"Naw," Auruo's expression changed to amusement and his tone was very teasing, "I used the bag of waffle mix I found in your pantry."

"You are such an ass," Petra laughed, shaking her head at her very silly friend…boyfriend…they were a couple now, right! "So you can't cook after all?"

Auruo chuckled at her disappointment and he gave her a genuine smile.

"Yes, Petra, I _can_ ," he reassured her, "I'm French, I have a ton of stereotypical skills, cooking being one of them."

"And what else?" Petra asked, curious as she shoved another piece of waffle in her mouth.

"I can cook, sing, dance, the language is my natural, native tongue," he counted off his skills, knocking down a finger for each one, and then his face took on the most mischievous and wicked grin she'd seen cross his features yet, "And speaking of tongues…"

"AURUO!" Petra squeaked, nearly dropping her fork, but Auruo didn't miss a beat, he kept going.

"I can kiss you in ways you'll never forget," he continued, his voice taking on a serious and suggestive tone, "And I am an exceptionally skilled and attentive lover."

"Is there any stereotypical French stuff you _aren't_ good at?" Petra demanded, desperate to change the course of the conversation because the images of Auruo demonstrating these aforementioned skills were beginning to make things twist in her lower belly and she was determined to stomp them out.

"I can't do that mime shit," Auruo admitted with a shrug, clearly not caring about it, "And I hate wine."

Petra rolled her eyes.

"Well, no one's perfect,"

"Damn close though," Auruo gave her a wink and Petra had to agree with him on that one.

"Let me eat my waffles in peace, you foreign incubus," Petra mumbled into her orange juice before taking a long drink.

Auruo cocked an eyebrow and laughed, but he stood up and walked out of the room, nearly tripping over the cat as the massive grey creature streaked out of the room right in front of him.

"Watch it, Bastard!" he called after the cat.

"Don't call him that stupid name!" Petra insisted around her mouthful of waffle.

When Petra finished her breakfast, she got out of bed and pulled on her jeans and a plain pink t-shirt and made her way out into the living room. She walked so quietly that Auruo must not have heard her leave the bedroom, because she peeked around the edge of the support pole in between her living room and kitchen and found him at the sink washing the dishes he'd dirtied while preparing breakfast.

"Domesticated already and everything?" Petra teased as she entered the kitchen, he looked over his shoulder at her and gave her non-impressed frown, "I might just have to keep you around to do my housework if nothing else."

"If nothing else?" Auruo feigned insult, or at least she hoped he was feigning it, "Surely there's something other than my cooking and cleaning skills you appreciate?"

Petra rolled her eyes when he added a suggestive eyebrow wiggle to his question. Well, at least now she knew he wasn't truly insulted.

"I'm sure if I sat here and thought about it for a _long_ time I would think of something," she teased right back, "But, right now, I'm just going to appreciate your domestic skills."

"Fair enough," Auruo conceded, turning back to finish the dishes. Petra only barely heard him mumbled to himself: "You just wait…I'll show you skills."

"Is sex seriously all you every think about?" Petra snapped, unable to contain her dismay at his snarky comment. Auruo turned slightly to look at her in surprise, obviously she had not been meant to hear to what he'd said.

"How did you even hear that? Nevermind, look, how do you even know what I was referring to?" he accused her, "Maybe I meant some other skills!"

Petra gave him a look that clearly conveyed she didn't buy a word of his bullshit, but she let it slide and he did too, both of them silent as he finished the last dish and set it in the rack to dry. He grabbed a towel and dried his hands as he walked over to the cupboard to grab two coffee mugs that he then filled with the glorious dark liquid before bringing them over to the table and sitting across from Petra, his hazel eyes searching her face and his expression thoughtful.

"Hey, Petra…" his tone was hesitant, he obviously didn't really want to say what he was thinking.

"What?"

"You know I'm just…joking around with you, right?" he asked, quietly and seriously, "I mean, you know I'm not really a perverted asshole?"

"Oh, you most definitely _are_ a perverted asshole," Petra corrected him and he looked genuinely injured by the words, so she quickly explained herself, "But I know you don't mean it seriously. I'm not offended or disgusted or anything, if that's what you're worried about. I have a sense of humor, you know?"

His shoulders sagged with relief as he leaned forward to rest his arms on the table, he gave her a genuine, lopsided smile and then blew a piece of his hair out of his face before taking a sip of coffee, but the stubborn little chunk of hair fell right back into place and Petra logged that fact into her Auruo Appreciation Memory Bank: stubborn lock of hair that always hangs in his eyes. Cute factor: 8/10

"Good," he said quietly, staring into his coffee mug. Idjit appeared around the corner, the cat tagging right along beside the mutt like they were old friends, and they each split off to jump up onto their owners. Auruo gave the dog a smile and lifted her up onto his lap and Petra leaned back to allow her cat to jump onto hers as well.

"Hey, baby boy," she cooed, scratching his fuzzy grey head between his ears, "You like Idjit, huh?"

"Well, what d'ya know, Idjit? You captured Bastard's little heart."

"Stop calling him that!" Petra snapped, "He's not a bastard."

Auruo rolled his eyes.

"I know he isn't," he said, exasperation in his tone, "But, you have to admit, he likes it. Don't you, Bastard?"

The cat lifted his head to peek over the edge of the table at Auruo, his golden eyes wide, and he meowed as if to confirm the statement. Petra frowned at her pet's betrayal but then she sighed in defeat.

"Fine, I see how it is," she said unhappily, "Team up against me...if you want to be called Bastard then so be it, you little poophead."

Bastard looked up at her and purred happily, curling up and plopping down on her lap.

"Don't get too comfy," Petra told him, "Some of us don't have things we have to do and can't be sitting around holding kitties all day."

"You already slept half the day away," Auruo teased, standing to get a coffee refill, "So…you want to come with me and take Idjit on a walk?"

That sounded like a lovely idea to Petra, she glanced over her shoulder at the window across the room. The sun was shining outside but she knew there was a chill in the air as September began to wind to a close and give way to October, it was a perfect day outside and she longed to be out in it.

"Yes, I would really like that," she told him quickly, lifting Bastard off of her and setting him aside on the floor so she could stand up. She took her mug to the sink and washed it, "Just let me get myself together first."

"You look perfect already."

Oh, good grief! Memory bank addition: Flattery: Cute factor 6/10. Pretty darn cute, but also incredibly cheesy because she knew her hair was sticking out everywhere and she wasn't wearing any makeup or even have a nice shirt on.

"You're crazy," was her reply to his statement and she trotted off to the bathroom to brush her teeth and hair and apply some much needed makeup to her bare face. After a few minutes, Auruo came and leaned on the door frame, watching as she brushed mascara onto her lashes.

"We're just walking a dog, not meeting the Queen of Sheba," he commented, his tone heavy with snarkiness.

"Hush," Petra said slowly, making the infamous "mascara face" in the mirror as she performed the delicate procedure, "We can't all wake up looking like a Greek god."

Auruo cocked an eyebrow and smiled, looking pleasantly surprised.

"Wow, Greek god, huh?" he puffed his chest out slightly and his eyes were bright. Well, apparently flattery went a long way with him, Petra mused.

"Oh yeah, you know, guys like Brad Pitt and Reiner, they don't even have to try!" she said, her tone teasing but she saw his face fall slightly and his shoulders sagged.

"Yeah…" he murmured quietly, "Reiner…"

Oh…maybe that little joke had been a bad idea. She turned to look at him and immediately regretted saying that. She gave him a soft smile and cocked her head slightly.

"Oh, Auruo, stop," she said, taking his hand and giving it a squeeze, "I was talking about you and you know it."

He just let out a little sniff of an unamused laugh.

"Yeah…sure," he clearly didn't believe her, "Come on, brat, get your face on and let's go. Idjit is gonna pee on your floor if we don't get going."

She wanted to reassure him further, seeing as how he seemed to be genuinely injured by her little offhand comment, but the thought of cleaning dog pee off her floor was not a pleasant one and so she followed him back into the living room and put on her jacket while he clipped Idjit's leash on her collar. She watched in silence as he scuffled the little mutt's ears and nuzzled her head with his nose. Memory Bank: loves his dog. Cute factor 9/10.

"You ready, dewdrop?" she heard him ask and it broke her from her thoughts, he was standing there with the door open, waiting for her.

"How did you even come up with that?" Petra asked, edging around him into the hallway.

"I was reading that story about the Wolf and the Ladybug at the time we were discussing nicknames," Auruo replied, closing the door behind them. Petra tossed him her key and he locked it then tossed them back to her.

"Oh," Petra smiled, "That's…that is really adorable…"

"Oh shut up," Auruo rolled his eyes and they walked down the hall and to the lobby. Petra waved as they passed the front desk, the owner's son, Samuel smiled and waved back. Auruo eyed the young man with a look of unhappiness. "Who exactly is that?"

Petra rolled her eyes and fixed him in an 'are you kidding me?' glare.

"It's my landlord's son, Auruo," she informed him tartly, "He's a really nice kid, so stop looking at him like that."

Auruo sniffed and increased his pace towards the front doors, practically dragging Idjit along with him. Petra sighed and trotted to keep up. Memory bank: Jealousy. Cute factor 2/10. It could be kind of flattering to induce _some_ jealousy but not to the point of being accusing every time she spoke to a member of the male species and she hoped that this would not be a regular thing.

"So…where are we walking her?"

"The park that's literally two blocks from here," Auruo gave her a funny look, "Petra, have you even looked around your neighborhood since you moved here?"

To be honest, she hadn't…she'd started her job immediately after moving and had been so caught up in her business that she'd not even thought about exploring and having fun. The barbeque at Hanji's had been the only social adventure of hers in the two weeks she'd been working at the Club. Only two weeks…it felt like she'd known her coworkers forever! It felt like she'd know Auruo forever! She had to remember that it hadn't been very long and to take everything in stride.

"I haven't had time," she defended herself, but it sounded lame even in her own ears.

"Sure you haven't," Auruo rolled his eyes but he was smiling, "You need to get out more. Luckily you have me now and I'm gonna drag you all over the city and make sure you have a life outside of work and the inside of your apartment, no matter how nice it is in there."

They walked the two blocks until they got to the park and as soon as Idjit saw the grass she tugged at the leash and popped a pee squat the moment her paws touched the green stuff. After that, the dog started to snuffle around in the grass, following invisible trails of scent left by previous dogs, people and squirrels. Auruo followed wherever the dog's nose led her with the patience of a Saint, smiling at the loud snuffling noises she made into the grass.

Petra watched the odd couple with amusement and softness in her eyes, it was incredibly cute to watch as Auruo groused at the tiny dog about how stupid she was for bumping into park benches and chewing on rocks she found around her. At one point he had leaned down and pulled a particularly large stone from her jaws and she had growled in unhappiness. Auruo had given her a very stern look and said "Don't sass me you little bitch!" which had caused Petra to laugh so hard that she had to sit down on the nearest bench.

So that's where they were now, side by side as they watched Idjit chewing happily on a stick she'd found on the edge of the sidewalk, neither of them speaking as they listened to the sounds of the birds in the trees around them. Petra loved this, it reminded her of a scene from one of those old romantic movie and she let out a happy sigh and scooted closer to Auruo, her hand slowly moved at her side until she found his and slid her fingers under his palm in a silent request. Auruo smiled and took her hand firmly in his, intertwining their fingers and giving her a gentle squeeze. Petra looked down at their connection and found herself entranced by the way their skin tones looked together, hers pale and freckled, his tan and flawless. Her fingers were short and delicate, his long and strong and she could feel the calluses of his palms on hers and the heat his thumb left as he traced circles on the back of her hand.

"You know…I've never really done this," his voice was quiet and thoughtful and Petra glanced up to his face and found he was looking down at their hands as well, his brow furrowed slightly.

"Done what?" she asked.

"Dated someone and…enjoyed it," he tried to explain, sounding a bit unsure of how to say it, "Like…without the intention of getting lucky when the date's over."

Petra gave him a disapproving look, but she decided it was easier to joke about it instead so she didn't say something cruel.

"You mean we _aren't_ going to go back to my place after work to make incredibly passionate love?" she asked, feigning disappointment.

He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye for a long moment, hesitating to answer, but eventually he sighed lightly and she felt his hand tighten on her slightly and she found him lifting them up, twisting his hand around until hers was on top and his knuckles were hooked underneath his fingers and he brought the back of her hand to his lips, pressing a gentle kiss there, his eyes closing lightly almost as if he was savoring the feeling of her skin.

"Only if you wanted to," he said quietly.

That shut her up. She honestly hadn't thought of it since his comment that morning about being a great kisser and lover…but now, all those images in her mind flooded back and made her feel nervous and twitchy…and curious. She was suddenly nervous and she let out a shaky laugh.

"Heh, in your dreams," she quipped.

She expected some sort of snarky response, a challenge or maybe even disappointment…but he just kept tracing her hand and was watching Idjit again. He looked like he was thinking deeply about something and she left him to do it, falling into silence at his side as she gently leaned her head onto his shoulder. The cool breeze made her shiver even under her jacket and he must have felt her because he pressed a kiss into her hair and nudged her off his shoulder before standing up and tugging her with him by the hand.

"C'mon, let's get back," he said, sounding very monotone, "I need to get home and get ready for work too."

Ugh, she'd forgotten they had to work that evening, but as they had sat on the bench together she had thought of a wonderful idea.

"Let's have a movie day tomorrow," she suggested as they bgean walking back towards her apartment, still hand in hand.

"A movie day?" he asked, looking interested and more like himself almost immediately.

"Yeah, we can invite Eld, Gunther and Eren and we can bring our favorite movies of all time and have a marathon all day and watch them together!"

Auruo grinned at her.

"So you want me to come back and spend the whole day with you again tomorrow?" he asked, sounding pleased with the idea.

Petra considered that for a moment and blushed at her next thought.

"You…wouldn't have to come back if you just stayed over tonight," she suggested quietly, "I mean, then you could help me get things ready for when the others get there. We'll get snacks and stuff."

Her reasoning sounded lame, but Auruo was grinning at her and she figured he didn't need much convincing.

"You just want to see me half naked again," he teased.

Petra looked at him in shock, her mouth opening and closing wordlessly like a fish out of water.

"Sure, I'll pack a bag this time when I go home before work," Auruo didn't miss a beat as he continued talking, "Can Idjit come too?"

"Of course!" Petra was glad for the quick topic change, her face was red and hot with embarrassment, "Idjit is always welcome."

When they got back to the apartment, Auruo stopped at her front door and announced he was going back to get ready for work and that night, so he gave her a quick kiss and waved goodbye, leaving her on her doorstep watching him go…and not wanting him to leave at all.

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Work seemed to drag on forever for the first time since Petra had started working at the club, the music seemed to grate on her nerves, the flow of patrons seemed never ending, Connie's section was next to her hostess desk and his friendliness seemed annoying as she watched the hours pass slowly on the clock. Auruo was not asked to sing for the first time she'd started working as well and that was disappointing as well…nothing about the whole night seemed right to her. Honestly, all she could think about was her plans for after work.

She had texted Auruo earlier after he'd left about running to a 24 hour store to get food and snacks for the next day and so they were going after the club closed down and she was eager to get out and spend more time with him, one on one. And then, of course, there was the thought of going back to her apartment with him…and she had to be honest when she said she hoped to see him in his pre-sleep state again, hair mussed and eyes dropping and wearing nothing but low slung boxers. Not that she would ever admit that to him…

"Hey, Gunther, c'mere," she nodded at the bouncer and he rose from his seat next to the door and came to lean on her desk.

"What can I do for you, Miss Petra?" he asked, his deep voice was friendly and teasing as usual.

"If you're not busy tomorrow, I want you to come to my house tomorrow or a movie marathon," Petra issued her invitation, "Auruo, Eld and Eren will hopefully be there too."

Gunther's eyes brightened and he looked genuinely happy to be invited.

"Sure, I have no plans," he said with a smile, "What are we marathoning?"

"Bring a copy of your all-time favorite movie," Petra replied, "I have mine and Auruo has his already so I just need to get Eld and Eren in on it. We'll start at ten tomorrow morning so we have plenty of time to finish them all and have breaks in between."

"I'll be there," Gunther agreed, "Thanks for inviting me, Petra. How are you and Auruo getting along?"

Petra blushed at the sudden mention of her newfound relationship, she ooked over to where Auruo was talking animatedly to Nanaba about something, they both laughed and Petra smiled.

"It's going great," she said, honestly, "But it's only been two days…"

"Gotta start somewhere," Gunther shrugged, and then he raised his head and looked across the room where a slightly over intoxicated man was beginning to make a scene, "Gotta go, duty calls. See you tomorrow."

Petra sought out Eren and then Eld and both agreed they would be there too and the night continued to drag on for far too long…until, finally, the last song of the night ended and the customers filed out of the door and Annie locked it behind them.

"You ready?" Auruo's voice in her ear made Petra jump in surprise, she turned to find him standing directly behind her, leaning slightly to whisper in her ear and he was grinning.

"Oh, god, please let's get out of her," she groaned slightly, "Tonight seemed to take forever! I am so excited about tomorrow!"

"C'mon, let's go then," Auruo laughed and took her hand, leading her across the club and out the back door. They got in her car and headed to the nearest store that was open at that time of night.

Petra grabbed a cart and they walked down the aisles, pulling anything that looked delicious off the shelves and piling it in, enough to feed a small army it seemed. Petra picked out a large roast to stick in the crock pot when they got back to her place so it would be ready the next day without worrying about cooking for four grown men.

"Alright, I think we have enough here to feed the Greenbay Packers for a month," she commented when Auruo tossed yet another bag of chips on top of the growing pile in the cart.

"Yeah, you're probably not far off," he agreed. They checked out, piled their goodies into Petra's car trunk then headed back uptown to her apartment.

When they arrived, Idjit and Bastard came running up to greet them and Petra immediately went to the kitchen and pulled out her crockpot, tossing the meat in and grabbing her cutting board to prep veggies to add to it. Auruo piled all their junk food on the kitchen table and put the more healthy options like baby carrots and celery into the fridge, tomorrow they planned to wake up in time to make a nice spread of snacks before the others arrived.

"I'm gonna go shower before bed," Petra announced as she turned on the crockpot and placed the lid on top, "Make yourself at home, I'll be back in a minute."

She showered and when she came out, Auruo took one too. Petra waited for him on the couch in the living room, her eyes fixed on the bathroom door for him to come back out. Finally the dark wood door opened and he stepped out…shirtless…but wearing pajama bottoms. Darn it.

Her disappointment must have shown on her face because Auruo laughed and came over to sit on the couch next to her, pulling her into his side and leaning back to let her rest her head on his shoulder with his arm wrapped around her.

"What's with that sad face?" he asked teasingly.

Petra was too distracted to answer, the sudden close proximity of his bare torso to her face was a shock to her system and she reached out a tentative hand, hesitating to touch but wanting to badly. He helped her make her decision by placing his free hand on top of hers and pushing it down till her palm rested flat against the right side of his chest. Oh…goodness…Petra admired the heat of his skin and the light curls of hair that spattered his chest and ran down in a line to his stomach and beyond…this seemed like far too much for their second day as a couple, but it felt too right to deny herself the pleasure. She gently and slowly ran her hand over the planes of his entire chest and then began to trace the lines of his firm abdomen, almost absentmindedly. She felt his skin twitch under her fingers when she strayed to his sides above his hips and he chuckled, grabbing her wrist gently.

"That tickles," he informed her…and she grinned wickedly.

"Does it?" she asked innocently, and then she raised her head from his shoulder and fixed him in a mischievous grin, "How about this?"

And she pounced. Her fingers dug mercilessly into his sides, wiggling rapidly against his sensitive skin. Auruo immediately convulsed and backed himself as far into the couch cushions as he possibly could, his eyes squeezed tightly shut and his whole face twisted with laughter as he howled and shrieked and cursed and threatened violence against her for her treachery, begging her to stop as he twisted away from her. She was relentless and he was desperate to escape her assault…and that was how Petra found herself suddenly grabbed around the waist, her body so slight that his fingers could almost touch around her, and pinned firmly beneath him on the couch.

She sobered immediately, her eyes wide and her body suddenly hyper aware of the firm heat of him above her, but he continued laughing and sucking in desperate gulps of much needed air, his eyes still shut tight and his mouth still pulled into the most beautiful and genuine smile Petra had ever seen grace his usually harsh features. He looked so young…so carefree…and it took her breath away. But, all too soon, he realized the predicament they were in and his happiness turned to horror as he looked down at her. He pulled himself upright immediately and stood up, his hand slipping over the back of his neck in his trademark nervous gesture.

"Ah…sorry," he mumbled, blushing brightly. Petra assumed her face was the same color, "Um…I…I'm sorry…I'm…very ticklish and…"

Petra shook her head and sat up.

"It's fine, Auruo," she assured him quickly, "I was just surprised. Guess I didn't realize you were quite _that_ ticklish. Come back here."

"Uh...we need to get some sleep, gotta be up in time before they get here to make it look like I wasn't sleeping in your other room," Auruo shook his head and backed up a little, "I mean, you know they'll make a huge deal out of it and all if they knew."

She had to admit, he had a point.

"Yeah, you're right," she admitted sadly, but she stood and walked across the living room at his side. They stopped at the point where he would go right and she left to their separate room and shuffled awkwardly for a moment, "Well…goodnight, Auruo."

"G'night, Petra."

And he was going to walk away, just like that…but Petra would have none of it, not when she waited all night for this. She was getting a goodnight kiss. She'd been looking forward to it since the first kiss he'd given her when they had brought Bastard home!

"Auruo," she said quickly, "Kiss me goodnight."

He looked at her oddly for a moment, but his hands automatically came up to curl around her upper arms, almost like it was second nature. He hesitated for a moment but then he seemed to make up his mind about something and he stepped forward, closing the gap between them and he leaned down as she stood tip toe and claimed her lips with his in a quick and smooth fashion. Petra had expected another quick kiss with a simple feel to it, but what she was getting was something else entirely. It wasn't a demanding kiss, there was nothing rough or rushed about it, and Petra felt herself melt into him as he deepened it a little more, one hand sliding up from her arm to cup her face as his lips moved expertly with hers, perfectly in sync like they did this every day and it was a regular occurrence for them.

But it was over far too soon for Petra's liking and he released her face and straightened back up before she was ready to let him go. He held her close for another moment and then pressed a quick kiss to the top of her head before backing up to hold her at arm's length. He smiled and turned to walk to the guest room down the hall, he glanced over his shoulder before he closed the door behind him.

"Goodnight, Petra," he said quietly. And the door closed, leaving Petra standing in the hall with her fingertips on her lips, feeling fulfilled and disappointed at the same time. She had gotten her kiss, so why did it feel like it hadn't been enough?

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 **Whew! Finally got this chapter done! I have had severe zombie brain for the last few days and writing has not been something it wanted to do…so this has been a long time in the making! So glad the creative juices are flowing again!**

 **Hope you guys enjoyed this one! Read, review and make a writer's day!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Well, I was planning on writing on Bravery today but this chapter is rolling around in my head so I'm just gonna do this one instead.**

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The next morning, Petra woke up to the sound of her phone alarm and sat up immediately, scaring Bastard with her sudden movement. She was wide awake, her heart leapt with excitement at the prospect of the fun day ahead of her. She threw her legs over the side of the bed and bounced into a standing position. She flew out of her bedroom and down the hall and quietly opened the door of her guest room and peeked inside. Auruo lay there on his stomach, one leg sticking out from under the covers and hanging off the side of the bed, his arms crossed underneath his pillow…he looked adorable and Petra couldn't resist.

She tip toed into the room to the end of the bed, bunched her leg muscles…and pounced. She landed directly at his side, the small weight of her body wasn't much but it was enough. Auruo jerked wildly and let out a garbled yell, his eyes wide in fear and surprise as he rolled over and right off the side of the bed, landing in a pile of blankets and flailing limbs with a _thump_ and an _oof._

Petra clutched her stomach and laid on her back, laughing hysterically at how well her brazen little leap had turned out. Auruo groaned from the floor and the top if his head popped up over the edge of the bed and she could tell by the shape of his eyes that he was glaring at her even before the rest of his face appeared. He rested his chin on the mattress and sighed.

"Good morning to you too," he muttered, his voice thick with sleep.

"Sorry," Petra wheezed, rolling backwards off the bed and bouncing on the balls of her feet, "I couldn't resist! Come on, Auruo, get up! Let's get ready for the guys to get here."

"Can I get dressed first and shit?" Auruo yawned a massive yawn and then laid his head back down on the bed with a sigh, "I'll be out there in a minute."

"Ok," Petra skipped out of the room and down the hall to the bathroom to brush her teeth and make herself look halfway decent for her friends. When she came back out, Auruo was leaning against the wall with his toothbrush in hand, waiting for his turn and looking like he wanted to fall asleep on his feet, but his eyes opened when she stepped out and he smiled at her.

"You know, there are better ways to wake a man up," he commented with a wink.

"None that I can think of," Petra shot back, wrinkling her nose in defiance. He sniffed at her and they side stepped around eachother as they passed, eyes squinted in matching glares. Petra went back to her bedroom to grab her favorite oversized hoodie, but she left her flannel pajama bottoms on and then headed to the kitchen to begin preparing the food.

Auruo joined her a little bit later after he had gone back to make the bed and changed into jeans and a black t-shirt that Petra thought clung very, very nicely to his frame.

"So, how can I help you, Miss Petra?" he asked as he walked into the kitchen, his hand shoved in the pockets of his jeans as he glanced around the kitchen.

"Wash these," Petra handed him the bag of celery and then she climbed up on the counter to reach the top shelf of her cupboard where her serving bowls were. She was reaching for one when Auruo came up behind her and grabbed it before she could, a smirk on his face when she shot him a glare. "Oh, sure, rub your tallness in my face!"

He opened his mouth like he was about to say something and immediately clamped it shut again. Petra cocked her head.

"What? What were you going to say?" Petra was curious now, although she had an idea of what it was anyway.

Auruo blushed and looked away, shaking the bag of celery at her as he headed for the sink. He set the acquired bowl down on the counter for her and she took it with a nod, still watching him closely as she dumbed the bag of baby carrots into it. He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye and then sighed…she knew he couldn't hold it back forever.

"I was just gonna…make a gross joke," he admitted.

"I knew it. Let me guess…" she cleared her throat and tried to imitate his voice and cocky posture, "Why, Petra, if I was going to rub something in your face it would be my dick, not my tallness."

Auruo snorted loudly and bent over the sink, clutching the sides of it tightly as he laughed. Petra smiled as she logged this into her memory bank: Laughter. Cute factor 10/10.

They cut the celery together, adding them to the carrots in the bow and laid various bags of chips and pretzels on the table along with packages of cookies and candy and a cooler full of ice and soda cans. Petra stepped back over to the counter and turned over her roast for good measure, but it was looking perfect as well.

"Alright," she said happily, heading for the living room, "Time to pick out my movie choice! Did you bring yours?"

"Yep!" Auruo disappeared into the guest bedroom for a moment and returned with a tattered VHS tape. He held it out proudly and Petra smiled at the image of black skeleton T-rex over a red circular background. _Jurassic Park_.

"You're lucky I have a VHS/DVD player combo thing," Petra rolled her eyes and took the tape, laying it on the floor next to her leg.

"VHS, baby, it's like seeing it for the first time every time," Auruo explained happily, "First time I saw this I was nine years old and my mom was with my little brother in the hospital because they had wanted to keep him over night for observation and it was just me and dad at home. I was so worried about Lafayette and nothing dad told me would calm me down…so he took me to the movie rental place and let me pick out the movie. I mean, I was a little kid…dinosaurs were everything…so I picked it out because of the picture."

"Awww," Petra smiled at the image of a nine year old Auruo excitedly holding up the tattered case, although it probably hadn't been tattered back then.

"Oh, don't get all sappy about it," Auruo rolled his eyes, "So we went back home and watched it and I was so scared and my dad was scared and we were just huddled on the couch together clutching the couch pillows and covering our eyes every time the velociraptors or the T-rex showed up. I loved every second of it…and still do."

He went over to the couch and plopped down, patting the empty space beside him with a lopsided smile. Petra held up her hand in a motion for him to wait a minute and she continued to scan her movies for her choice. Ah…perfect. She pulled out her DVD of _Pride and Prejudice_ , the newer one with Kiera Knightly.

"What's that?" Auruo leaned forward, trying to see around her to catch a glimpse of the DVD case. Petra held it up for him to see. "Pride and Prejudice, huh? My mom used to read that book all the time."

"So you know the story?" Petra asked, pleasantly surprised.

"Naw," Auruo laughed, "I just remember her sitting there, reading it and making little sighing sounds and wiping tears away…what's it about?"

"It's about a poor girl who meets a rich man and absolutely hates him and thinks he's a jerk, but he's actually really nice but he looks down on her family and eventually she sees that he's not a total ass and he sees that she's not weird like her family and they fall in love and…"

"Sounds like something you _would_ like," Auruo rolled his eyes, "Sappy romance novels and shit."

"At least I _have_ a concept of romance," Petra replied with a sneer.

Auruo opened his mouth to retort but was cut off by a knock at the door. Petra jumped up and went to answer it, finding Eld standing on her welcome mat with a smile on his face and a DVD case held up in his hand.

"I'm here!" he proclaimed, "And I brought the best movie in the history of movies."

Petra took the case from him and eyed it doubtfully.

" _The Fox and the Hound_?" she laughed, "I have never seen this."

Eld's expression would have been better suited if he'd found Petra with a bloody knife in her hands next to a dead body, such was the level of horror on his face.

"WHAT!?" he shrieked, flailing his hands at the DVD case, "But…it's…how have you not seen this?"

Petra felt a presence behind her and the DVD case was snatched out of her hand from behind her, she tilted her head back to see Auruo looking at the movie with squinted eyes.

"I think I saw this when I was a kid once," he murmured.

"Well, prepare to experience it all over again," Eld took the DVD back and stepped inside, closing the door behind him…right in Eren's face.

"Rude!" They heard him yell through the door.

"Sorry, Eren," Petra yanked the door back open, "Please, come on in!"

Eren huffed and stepped inside giving Eld a seething look, Eld just grinned sheepishly before walking to the coffee table and laying his movie with the other two.

"So, what movie did you bring, Eren?" he asked as he examined the other two movies beside his colorful Disney cartoon case.

"Wait for it, wait for it…" Eren dug into his backpack for a moment and then whipped out a DVD, black and green with a man in a leather trenchcoat. "Feast your eyes, suckas! The Matrix!"

Petra rolled her eyes but she had to admit…it was a very good movie choice.

"Alrighty then," she said cheerfully, ushering Eren across the room to the coffee table where he deposited his DVD with the others, "Guys, go ahead and help yourselves to snacks and stuff if you want, bathroom's that middle door in the hallway, make yourselves at home."

Another knock at the door announced the arrival of the final invitee to their marathon, Petra swung the door open with a smile.

"Hey, Gunther!" she greeted her friend happily, "Everyone's here so come on in and add your movie to the pile on the coffee table."

Gunther laid his movie next to Eren's and Petra smiled wide as she read the title: _Rear Window_

"Oh ho ho!" she laughed evilly, "Gunther, you and I are going to be the best of friends. You like classic horror movies?"

"Love them," Gunther replied with a wink, "Plus Jimmy Stewart is an amazing actor."

"I will literally watch anything he played in," Petra agreed, "Alright, alright, boys, get enough snacks to last through the first movie and choose your seats!"

Auruo had already claimed the left side of the couch, feet propped up on the coffee table and everything as he leaned back with his plate of chips on his abdomen, munching lazily. Petra rolled her eyes and set her drinks and snacks in the disk chair beside the couch next to him.

"You look comfy," she teased, "But who said you could put your feet on my coffee table?"

Auruo gave her a funny look and immediately began to sit up but she pushed his shoulders back down with a laugh.

"Relax, I'm just joking," she glanced around quickly, making sure the other three were still in the kitchen getting their snacks, then she leaned down and pressed a kiss to the tip of his nose. It earned her a furrowed brow and a small smile.

"You're weird, Petra Ral," he teased, "Do you always go around kissing people on the nose?"

"Not everyone's nose is as cute as yours," Petra gave him a wink and then made a movement to go back to her chair but Auruo's hand gripped her wrist and he pulled her back gently.

"Don't sit there," he whispered as Eld came around the corner with his plate. Petra blinked slowly for a moment and then smiled, nodding her understanding. She moved her snacks to the coffee table and laid claim to the middle of the couch, close to Auruo's side but far enough away to look innocent enough of a spot to choose. Bastard came trotting into the room with Idjit on his heels and the two animals jumped up onto the couch, Idjit between Petra and Auruo and Bastard on Petra's lap.

"That is the scariest, biggest cat I've ever seen," Eren claimed as he sat in Petra's recently vacated disk chair, eyeing the animal nervously.

"He looks terrifying but he's a sweetheart," Petra assured him, "Aren't you, Bastard?"

"Bastard?" Gunther cocked an eyebrow as he sat next to Petra on the couch, "Did you let Auruo name your cat?"

"No, you ass," Auruo snapped, "He just likes that name."

"They called him that at the shelter," Petra explained, "And he doesn't respond to anything else so I'm stuck with it. Ok, everyone ready?"

Everyone voiced their affirmatives and Petra handed Bastard to Auruo before standing up, the cat curled happily onto his lap and purred loudly as Idjit began licking his furry face. Petra examined the movies and wasn't sure which to pick so she laid them on the floor and called Idjit over to the row of cases, she picked the first one the dog sniffed: Jurassic Park.

"That's my girl," Auruo grinned at his mutt and patted the couch between him and the armrest for her to jump back up, successfully clearing his right side for Petra.

Petra skipped back to the couch and pulled the dark curtains over the windows behind them to block out the glares and cast a movie-watching mood over the room, then she plopped down beside Auruo with a smile which he returned before slipping his arm under hers and pulling her to into his side. She gave him a light smack on the shoulder and shook her head, leaning back to her original position, she nodded at the other three guys in the room as if to say "not while they're around", and it made Auruo pout, his bottom lip stuck out almost comically as he turned his attention back to the TV when the movie began…soon he had forgotten all about her rejection of his affection and he leaned forward in excitement to watch.

The movie seemed to be a success all around, with everyone enjoying it thoroughly, laughing and oohing and ahhing at the appropriate times up to the point of the last roar of the T-Rex, Jurassic Park banner floating down around it. They all sat back and relaxed as the survivors of the movie flew off in the helicopter and the theme music played. Petra stood and pushed rewind when the credits began to roll.

"Bathroom and snack break!" Eren yelled, jumping up from his seat and tearing off to the bathroom.

Eld headed to the kitchen to get another soda and Gunther wandered to the hall to wait for Eren to get done in the bathroom. Petra put in the next movie, The Fox and the Hound, and paused it while she and Auruo waited for the others.

"You not a fan of PDA?" Auruo's question surprised her.

"I…what? No, I don't mind," she replied quickly, "I just…don't want to give them ammunition to throw at me at work tomorrow night."

Auruo gave her an annoyed look and wrapped his arm around her shoulder before she could protest, pulling her into his chest. Petra considered pulling away and scolding him, but…she had to admit, this was very nice, the heat rolling off of him against her cheek and the scent of him filling her nose and the relaxing way his fingertips were brushing against her arm through the material of her hoodie. She sighed and relaxed into him, letting him win this time. Eld came back with his soda and gave them a genuinely pleased smile.

"Never would have thought," he admitted as he sat down, "Petra thought you were such an ass that first night, no one would have seen you two coming. You two look good together though."

Petra smiled at her blond friend, but then Eren came back into the room and rolled his eyes.

"Gross, you two," he muttered, "Get a room."

"This is my house, Jaeger," Petra reminded him, "Technically this _is_ the room I would get."

"Touché," Eren sat down without another word and started munching on a chocolate chip cookie.

Gunther returned a moment later, his eyebrow cocked up when he saw the pair cuddled close on the couch, his lips twitched in a smile as he sat next to Petra, she just glared at him as if daring him to say a word. He held a hand up in a peaceful gesture and nodded approvingly before turning his attention to the TV. Petra pushed play on the remote and the cartoon began.

Petra had never seen the touching tale of the two unlikely best friends, but she was emotionally invested immediately. When Copper was tied to his barrel, she felt a lump in her throat. When Chief was hit by the train and Copper threatened Todd's life, the lump grew even bigger. When Todd was dropped off in the woods, tears were streaming down her face. When Todd leapt onto the bear to save his friend, she sniffled some more…and by the time Copper stood protectively over his fox friend she was a sobbing mess.

Auruo looked highly uncomfortable as she sat up straight, blubbering and red-faced, tears streaming down her cheeks and dripping onto her legs. Eld was prepared for this and he handed her a handful of tissues. Petra took them gratefully and blew her nose and wiped her face and began to get herself together. Eld was dabbing at his eyes too, sniffling sadly.

"Good grief," Auruo mumbled, and Petra noticed his voice sounded strained, "The two of you are pathetic."

But Petra noticed the slight glint in his eyes and the way he was swallowing thickly as if to push down a lump in his throat. He was a big talker, but she knew the movie had had an effect on him as well although he would never admit it out loud.

"Oh, Eld, I can't believe I've never seen that movie before," Petra said sadly, "That was so beautiful!"

"It's a classic," Eld nodded in agreement, "I watched it over and over when I was little. My mom got so tired of it."

Petra imagined it would be a horrible fate to have to watch such an emotionally devastating movie over and over again.

"Ok, guys, its lunch time!" Petra jumped up from the couch and motioned for them all to follow her into the kitchen, "I made a roast."

That caused a small stampede as all four males jumped up and came flying into the kitchen, Petra squealed and leaned into the counter in fear being trampled. But they came skidding to a stop and stood there grinning, waiting for her orders. Petra sighed in relief and grabbed five plates from the cupboard and handed them out.

"I'll cut it up," Gunther offered, removing the roast from the pot and setting it on the serving plate. He cut it into chunks and poked a large piece and added it to his place, scooping carrots and potatoes out of the crockpot to finish off his plate, then he turned and headed towards the living room again, "This smells incredible, Petra, you're awesome!"

"Thanks, Gunther," Petra called after him, and she motioned Eren to go next.

Petra and Auruo were last to step up to the counter and Petra decided, now that they were alone, that it was the perfect time to tease him about his reaction to the movie.

"You were pretty torn up over that cartoon," she commented easily.

"Me?" Auruo gave her a disbelieving look, "Are you kidding? You were the one blubbering like a little baby!"

"Oh, please, I saw you trying not to cry," Petra rolled her eyes, "You were all teary eyed and sad."

"You don't know what you're talking about," Auruo waved his hand at her, dismissively.

"Oh, just admit it," Petra teased more intently, stepping closer to his and nudging his side with her elbow, "You were emotionally compromised. You wanted to bawl over that cartoon."

"You're such an ass," Auruo grumbled, clearly not happy about his emotional moment being noticed, "You should stop talking for a while."

"Maybe I should go tell the others about your near meltdown," Petra suggested, and she turned as if to head for the living room. But she felt his hand close tightly on her upper arm and she was yanked back almost roughly. Petra opened her mouth to make a complaint about being yanked like that, but Auruo rolled his eyes and his hand shot out and he pressed his index finger to her lips in the universal gesture for silence.

Petra, annoyed at being shushed and clearly not thinking it through, opened her mouth and clamped down around his finger. This was intended to be a threat, like a silent warning that she was going to bite his finger if he didn't get it out of her face…but she didn't really consider what she was doing and she hadn't accounted for his reaction.

Auruo's face took on a look of utter shock at first and he stared at her for a long moment; she stared back, surprised at herself, her mouth still holding him captive between her lips. And then she realized why this had been a mistake when she saw his expression change from shock to interest and then his eyes dilate quick enough for her to notice it happening…and he was twisting his hand, pushing his finger further into her mouth, ever so slowly, never breaking eye contact as he did, not for a millisecond. His tongue flicked out over his lips.

Oh…shit. Petra knew this was dangerous territory, but she was too intrigued to second guess herself and she allowed it to happen, in fact, she not only allowed, she encouraged. She wasn't sure where this sudden boldness was coming from, but she embraced it; sheathing her teeth under her lips, she leaned into his hand, taking the entire length of his finger into her mouth with one quick movement. She heard his breath hitch and that was all the encouragement she needed.

She closed her eyes slightly, taking on a sensuous expression as she hollowed her cheeks to create a seal with her lips, resulting in a sucking pressure, pulling back slightly to slide her mouth back up the length of his finger and back again, mimicking a skill she kept hidden in her repertoire for very special times and very special people, a skill she was _very_ good at. And it must have been obvious that she was, because Auruo's breathing sped up slowly until he was nearly panting and his mouth fell open slightly as he watched her with hooded eyes.

Petra decided she'd teased him enough and proved her point, and she pulled back to the very tip of his finger, letting it go with a loud, wet "slurp" sound, flicking her tongue out over his fingertip for good measure.

He stared at her in complete silence for an uncomfortably long amount of time before he finally cracked a lecherous grin at her.

"Fuck me sideways…" he breathed quietly.

"Maybe someday."

Petra grabbed her plate and took off to the living room, leaving Auruo standing awkwardly in the kitchen with a painfully obvious lump in the front of his jeans. She couldn't believe her boldness…where had that even come from? She didn't know, but she had enjoyed it way too much.

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Two movies later, and it was finally Pride and Prejudice time. Petra leaned into Auruo as she settled in to enjoy the movie. She was taken away by the story, immersing herself in the incredible dialogue and mooned quietly over Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley. She had to explain a few things to the boys throughout the storyline, pointing out why Lydia running away with Mr. Wickham was such a terrible thing in those days and why Mr. Darcy paying for her marriage was an amazing gesture…and when the meeting in the foggy field at sunrise came on, she fell into silence, taking in the feel of the moment, her heart squeezing at his beautiful confession of love.

When the movie ended, the pair of them sitting by the water, kissing and sharing pet names, she was feeling light hearted and joyful.

"Jane Austen…you amazing woman, you," she whispered as the credit began to roll.

"That was…quite a way to end a movie marathon," Eren said, sounding bored, "Well, this had been fun, guys, but I need to get home because I have to drive Mikasa to her dentist appointment tomorrow. She's gonna be too high on laughing gas to drive herself home. Have a good night, you guys. Thanks for having me, Petra!"

"Take a video of it!" Eld called after Eren as the young man headed for the door. Eren gave them a wicked grin and a thumbs up and then shut the door behind him.

The rest of them sat around talking for a while longer, until Gunther stood and motioned for Eld to follow suit.

"Well, we need to be getting home too," he announced pointedly to his blonde friend, "This was great, and thanks for cooking and everything, Petra!"

"Yeah, you really went all out," Eld agreed, collecting his and Gunther's movies and taking Eren's as well since he'd forgotten his, "Thanks for having us and let's get together after work tomorrow! Diner?"

"Sure thing!" Petra was delighted, "See you at work tomorrow, guys!"

They two friends waved their goodbye and left together…and then Petra realized she was alone with Auruo…and she had to answer for her earlier crime. She immediately got up from the couch and headed for the kitchen to hopefully distract him with cleaning up, he followed her without a word.

"Can you clip the chip bags closed and throw them in the pantry?" Petra squeaked, handing him a handful of clothespins. He took them silently, his eyes locked on hers with a silent promise in them before he turned to the table and obediently began to clip the bags while Petra busied herself putting the leftover roast and veggies in a Tupperware bowl and tossing it in the fridge. She grabbed a washcloth and started wiping down the counter and the table…but soon she'd run out of chores to keep her occupied and she sighed heavily as she laid the washcloth in the sink and turned slowly to face her boyfriend who was leaning against the counter, waiting patiently for her to give up.

"Please forget that ever happened," she begged him quietly.

"How the hell am I supposed to forget that?" he asked her, incredulously.

"I didn't meant for it to go that far," Petra moaned, burying her hface in her hands, shame coloring her face, "I was going to bite you, not…"

"You don't have to apologize, Petra, geez," Auruo assured her, rolling his eyes, "I mean, damn…that was really hot."

"I was just…caught up in the moment," Petra tried to explain herself.

Auruo studied her for a moment, she could tell he was running something over in his mind…and then he uncrossed his arms and motioned for her to come in for a hug. She was delighted that he seemed to be ready to make peace and she headed straight for him and wrapped her arms around his waist, leaning her head in to rest against his chest. It was a huge relief.

"Think you're getting off that easy?"

Uh oh.

Before Petra could even form a response, she found herself being lifted off her feet and turned around, the back of her knees collided with the edge of her countertop and she was forced into a sitting position on the counter behind her as Auruo's hips pushed into her. There was a quick moment when she could have stopped this, he gave her the out, his dilated eyes scanning her face with a silent question as his right hand slid up her arm and his left hand pressed into her upper back…but she nodded her approval.

The pressure against her back from his hand increased to the point she was being pushed forward and as his head tilted to the right, she tilted left. She closed her eyes a mere moment before their lips connected, his closing gently on her top lip, then he pulled back and tilted his head the other direction to capture her bottom lip, then back again. It felt like a weaving pattern of kisses and she was beginning to relax into the motions. But just when she thought she knew the pattern, he pulled back slightly and Petra felt the slickness of his tongue slide over her bottom lip in a request for entrance.

 _Oh…the stereotypical French skills…_

She hesitated for a moment and he hovered over her lips patiently, awaiting her answer. Finally she nodded and relaxed her lips, letting them fall open slightly to give him the space he needed…and he went for it. Petra had kissed with tongue many times before, often after a long night of drinks and dares, but it had always been less than enjoyable, but this…this was something else altogether, the way she always dreamed a kiss should be.

His mouth opened slightly against hers and she felt his tongue slide between her lips and run gently over the tops of hers, only slightly, lightly and not forcefully but more like a gentle caress before withdrawing again. His hand slid up over her shoulder as he turned his head slowly, cupping the back of her head gently and twisting in the shorter hairs on her neck, his tongue slid into her mouth again, just a tiny bit deeper, but nowhere near feeling intrusive or demanding, and slid underneath to trace the indention on the bottom of her tongue. He was exploring the shape of her mouth, she realized as he traced the backside of her top teeth quickly before sweeping across the top of her tongue again, like he was committing it all to memory in slow, sensuous strokes; gentle and intoxicating.

Petra soon forgot all her qualms about this, all her concern about how compromising of a situation this was, and she melted into him, adding her tongue to the mix with admittedly less expertise but equal enthusiasm, savoring the sensations and unique taste of him. Her actions resulted in a soft moan into her mouth from Auruo and she felt her stomach flip excitedly, the lowest part of her abdomen convulsed almost too deliciously and she felt the need to squeeze her legs together for a bit of relief, but she wasn't able to because Auruo had pushed himself between her legs at some point and she ended up squeezing his hips with her thighs…and she felt a telltale twitch against the inside of her leg, and that made her pull away from the kiss and fix him in a shocked stare.

"Auruo…" she said, a warning in her tone.

"Relax, Petra, this is just kissing," Auruo whispered soothingly against her mouth, his lips brushing against hers with every word, "I'd never force you into anything, I promise."

"What if you didn't have to force me?" Petra was shocked by her own reply and she immediately wished she would learn to shut her overly honest mouth.

Auruo immediately broke away from her, stepping back and putting some much needed space between them, running his hand through his hair with his eyes closed tightly. He ruffled the back of his neck for a moment and then peeked at her with one eye.

"You really need to not say stuff like that unless you damn well mean it," he growled at her.

Petra agreed one hundred percent and she slid off the counter immediately.

"You're right," she agreed quickly, "But it's not that I don't mean it…"

He eyed her cautiously and waited for her to continue.

"I just know we need to wait. We shouldn't rush."

"Yeah, definitely."

Suddenly, Petra felt awkward and nervous as she stood there in the kitchen with him. She felt…exposed or something similar, like he could see directly into her mind. Thankfully, her nervousness would be short lived because Auruo turned and walked awkwardly into the living room, his gait compensating for the recent lack of space in his pants. Petra waited in the kitchen and when he returned he was carrying his overnight bag and and Idjit clipped on the end of her leash.

"Well," he said quietly, "I, uh, had a great time, Petra, but I think it would be best for both of us if I went home tonight. Plus, I have an early morning and construction work tomorrow…so…um…see you tomorrow night at work?"

"Yeah," Petra replied lamely, feeling disappointed and relieved that he was leaving at the same time, "Be safe on your way home and text me when you get there so I know you made it ok."

"Will do, Ladybug," Auruo gave her a smile and headed for the door, Petra followed him and opened it for him since his hands were full.

"And, Auruo," she said as he stepped out into the hall, "That was…the best kiss I ever had in my life. No one has ever kissed me like that."

Auruo grinned, looking pleased with himself and gave her wink.

"Told you," he said, and then he started walking away.

Petra couldn't help but notice that, as much as hated to see him leave, watching him go was a special kind of view. She waited until he turned the corner and was out of sight before she closed the door and locked it, leaning against it, she pressed her fingers to her lips as she replayed that kiss over and over in her mind.

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 **Work was thankfully relaxing today so I got this done! Nearly 6,000 words, wow!**

 **Also got a lot of drawing done so it's been a productive day!**

 **Hope you all like this chappie! It was a fun one :D**


	16. Chapter 16

**Just took a power nap so…time to write while I'm awake! I just love these two goobers so freaking much and I love writing them :D**

 **Song: "Fever"- Michael Buble**

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It was too early to go to sleep, but Petra felt as if she'd watched plenty of TV for one day, so she decided to clean the apartment instead. She was still reeling slightly from their little make-out session in the kitchen and she was giddy and energetic so she went into the living room and turned on her sound system, blaring girly power songs.

She cleaned the kitchen to the crazy sound of "Wannabe" by the Spice Girls and "Respect" by Aretha Franklin, bouncing around her table as she swept the floor and stepped side to side to the beat as she scrubbed down every surface in the room.

She headed into the living room and took the broom to the floor there as well, glad she didn't have any carpet in the entire apartment, carpet was gross, and she hated it. She dumped the dustpan in the trash and then started dusting the surfaces and then folded up her two disk chairs and stuffed them back in the storage closet in the hall. When she returned to the living room, a song came on that made her grin: "I'm a Slave 4 U" by Britney Spears. She'd always thought this song sounded like a stripper song and she began rolling her hips sensually to the music as she headed towards the kitchen with the intention of changing the trash bags out…but as she passed the support post between the two rooms, she was struck by a childish urge to try out her pole dancing skills.

Putting on her most sultry face, she wrapped a hand around the pole and spun around it, careful not to put too much weight onto it in case it wasn't a strong pole…but it held well and she felt more emboldened, so she put both hands on and leaned back to test if it would hold all her weight, and it did. She really got into it then, prancing around the pole, signing along and basically dry humping the pole as she twisted around it and wrapped her leg around it, bending backwards and letting her leg take all the weight, letting gravity send her into a twist. She was so caught up in the sheer fun and exhilaration of her newfound dirty little skill, that she was unaware of anything else around her. She pushed her back end against the pole and bent over, bouncing her hips up and down, then she jutted out her chest, coming up from the bend slowly, finally raising her head and tossing her hair back…and she let out a scream and nearly fell over, because when she raised her head and opened her eyes she found Auruo standing there, leaning back against her front door, a look of incredulousness and delight on his face.

"AURUO!" Petra shrieked, loud and shrill enough to make Auruo wince at the sound, "What the hell are you doing here? I thought you were going home?! How did you get in my apartment?! Stop looking at me like that!"

She huddled into herself, covering all the assets she had just been showing off, very self-conscious now of her spaghetti strap camisole and yellow boy shorts she had changed into before she started cleaning. She glared accusingly at her boyfriend and bared her teeth threateningly.

"Hey, don't stop on my account," Auruo waggled an eyebrow at her, but he was blushing and it was pretty obvious he was hiding his embarrassment behind his snark.

"Answer my questions, Bossard!" Petra was not amused and she was not in the mood for his perverse jokes.

Auruo rolled his eyes and pushed himself off the door.

"I'm here because I forgot that I hung my work clothes in your closet and I kind of need them for tomorrow night, and I got in with the key you gave me."

Petra blinked at him, confused.

"I never gave you a key," she said slowly.

"You did, actually," Auruo held up the aforementioned item to show her, "Um…come to think of it, you may not remember it because you gave it to me the night Marty died and you said I could come over anytime I wanted. Guess I should've knocked maybe."

"Maybe?" Petra sighed, the anger she'd felt original was beginning to fade and she saw the humor of the situation, she started to giggle and it turned into a loud yelp of laughter that caused her to slap her hand over her mouth as she dissolved into laughter at her embarrassing predicament.

Auruo looked relieved and he shook his head with a grin on his face, chuckling lightly as he watched her from under his eyelashes, waiting to see what she would do next.

"So…can I get my clothes?" he asked when her laughter finally faded into gasps for air.

"Of course," Petra gestured towards the hallway vaguely and turned away to turn the music off, she really didn't want to hear any more of it right now in her red-faced state. Auruo disappeared around the corner and down the hall, so she busied herself with changing the trash bags like she'd planned until he returned with his suit thrown over his shoulder on the hanger.

"You really don't have any reason to be embarrassed, you know?" he commented, cocking his head slightly and fixing her in a squinty, studying gaze.

"I don't, huh?" Petra asked, not sounding like she believed him at all.

"Naw, that was really sexy," he offered, "And I'm not being a jerk, I'm just being honest."

Petra blinked at him in silence, feeling flattered despite herself, and then she hung her head shyly and scuffed her foot on the floor.

"Well…thanks, I guess," she said softly.

Auruo stepped up to her, close enough to where he could lean over and kiss her on the cheek.

"I'd love to stay for an encore but I really need to go home and get some sleep before work," he teased her with a grin.

"Like I would even _give_ you an encore!" Petra pushed him away from her, crossed her arms and turned her nose up in the air.

Auruo copied her expression, his nose tilting up to make him look aloof and uncaring.

"Like I would even _want_ you to," he said with a huff.

Petra couldn't keep up her act when she looked over at him and saw his impression of her, because if she was being honest with herself, it was a pretty good one. She let her arms fall to her side and she rolled her eyes, a grudging smile crept onto her face.

"If you're really, really nice to me for a while," she offered, " _Maybe_ I will give you an encore."

Auruo dropped his impression immediately, his expression turned hopeful and delighted and Petra was reminded of a kid on Christmas morning.

"Are you serious?" he asked, straightening his back and grinning.

"I said maybe," Petra reminded him, but it didn't burst his bubble and he continued to look just as happy despite her warning.

"Lookin' forward to it, dewdrop," he gave her his trademark lopsided smile and gave her another quick kiss on the cheek before he headed for the door, giving her a wave before he slipped out and closed it behind him.

Petra stood there wondering vaguely what the hell she had just gotten herself into.

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By the time work rolled around the next night, Petra was starting to miss that big jerk of a boyfriend of hers and she stood at her hostess desk watching the back door on pins and needles as she waited for him to arrive. They'd texted back and forth a bit through the day and when he was on break at the construction site, but it had just been little snippets of conversation, and she was honestly missing his smug face and that stupid grin and those almost constantly bored-looking heavy lidded hazel eyes.

Unfortunately, he didn't get there until moments before the doors opened and his section was in the center of the room so he simply took his place in his section and glanced over to the doors, giving her a wink and a smile before he straightened up and put on a professional neutral expression and waited for the customers to come his way.

Petra went about her business, leading people to their tables and introducing them to their waiters, doing her best not to be too obvious about her furtive glanced in Auruo's direction as she made her way around the room. She loved when she would take someone to his section and she would get to say his name and put her hand on his arm in a way that the customer saw as an introduction, but only the two of them knew about the gentle squeeze she gave him each time.

She tried her best to be professional and keep her hands to herself and not give him any obvious looks, but Auruo didn't seem to put as much importance on secrecy and discretion as she did and, at one point, he even had the gall to kiss her hand right in front of a table that she'd just led an elderly couple to. She would have said something to him about it except that the looks of delight on the couples' faces was too sweet for her to even consider ruining the moment.

When all the seats were filled, she handed Annie the waiting list for tables and excused herself to the employee restroom. A few moments later, she opened the bathroom door and found Auruo leaning against the opposite wall, giving her a mischievous smile.

"Need in there?" Petra stepped aside to let him pass but he grabbed her by the waist and pinned her against the wall too quickly for her to even respond and then his mouth was on hers, needy and harder than their previous kisses. When he pulled back, Petra fixed him in a surprised gaze.

"Goodness," she squeaked.

"Sorry, just kinda…missed you today," Auruo admitted, suddenly looking somewhat unsure of himself.

"I missed you too," Petra admitted, looking down at her feet. It seemed so odd to be so deeply attached to someone she hadn't known very long at all, but she couldn't deny that it felt too right to ignore and shove off anymore. "Can I make a song request tonight?"

"Sure thing," Auruo looked pleased but his smile was slightly shy.

Petra gave him the name of the song and he just stared at her in shock for a long moment before cracking a very self-satisfied grin. He nodded eagerly and agreed to sing it and they broke away from eachother to head back out to the front, Petra trailing slightly behind him. Since she _was_ behind him, she had a pretty good view of one of her favorite sights, Auruo's very nicely shaped butt…and she couldn't resist, she just couldn't! She reached out and grabbed a handful of cheek and gave it a firm squeeze.

The sound that issued from Auruo's throat made Petra jump a bit in surprise and then giggle as he spun around and stared at her, wide-eyed and slack jawed.

"Wh…what was that for?!" he asked, his voice an octave higher or so than normal.

"It just looked very squeezable," Petra explained with a shrug, pushing open the door and stepping into the front. She gave him a wink and then spun on her heels, heading straight back to her hostess desk like nothing had happened.

When she sat back down at her desk, Annie presented her with an already full waiting list, no more customers except these would be allowed in tonight so they would have to try again the following evening. So until a table emptied, Petra's job was to sit there and wait, which she did gratefully. She watched the band as they played an upbeat song she didn't recognize, she watched Eld shaking martinis and chatting with customers at the bar, she watched the wait staff serving their tables with enthusiasm and friendly smiles…but mostly she watched Auruo move around his section like he was born to do so, his customers all looked delighted whenever he came around to tend to them.

Finally, as she was seating the Jones party of three, the crowd began to get restless and Auruo's name began to ripple around them until it rose into a unified agreement that everyone wanted him to get up on stage and sing. This time, he made no disbelieving headshakes and he trotted right up on stage to stand before the mic and he looked delighted to be up there.

"I got a song request earlier from a certain individual," his hazel eyes darted over to the hostess desk and Petra smiled in return, "So, if you all don't have anything specific in mind, here it is."

He stepped back to inform the band of the song choice and was given unanimous nods of agreement before he turned back around and stood in his familiar spot on the stage.

The song began as a solid bass line and only a bass line, Bertholdt looked pleased at being able to be heard well for once, and Auruo snapped his fingers in time to the beat near the mic before he leaned in and began to sing, quiet and intense and deep.

Petra listened with her chin rested on her palm, the smooth notes from the band and the perfect lyrics that Auruo was singing made her feel dreamy and soothed, her mind sparked with images definitely not workplace appropriate, but she didn't really care…she wanted to feel like this and she wasn't going to deny herself this time. The seductive tune and lyrics of the song, "Fever" had always made her feel relaxed and sexy and this time was even better because the voice filling her ears was more beautiful to her than anyone else's who had sung it before tonight.

When the song ended, Auruo smiled at the crowd and accepted the applause with a nod and a two fingered salute before he jumped down and got right back to work like nothing had ever happened, somewhat to Petra's dismay…although she had no idea what else she had expected. The fact that they were at work flooded back to her and she shook her head to clear her thoughts of the impurities that had come to play there and she crossed the Jones party of three off her list and stood to receive the next party since a table had emptied after Auruo had finished singing, the two young women had obviously only stayed long enough to hear it…something about that thought didn't sit well with Petra but she shook off that weird bout of jealousy and led the new pair of customers to the vacant table in Connie's section.

As she passed Auruo on her way back, she noticed he was acting funny and she couldn't quite figure out what it was that he was doing and then she realized…he was skirting around her and refusing to turn his back on her. Oh, of course, he was keeping his front to her out of fear of her grabbing him again. Suddenly, Petra felt a sudden mischievous urge to so just that…as many times as she could before the end of the night.

"Auruo," Petra whispered and waved him over, putting on an excited "Is that Morgan Freeman over there!?"

It worked. Auruo spun around, scanning the room for the actor in question, and Petra glanced around quickly before pouncing. She casually turned so her back was to him, her hand furtively reached behind her and grabbed his left buttcheek. She felt him jerk away and when she looked back at him he was glaring at her, looking highly uncomfortable.

"Petra!" he hissed through his clenched teeth, "You're gonna get us in trouble!"

"Only if you make a big deal out of it and get us caught," Petra challenged him, wiggling her eyebrows at him.

He stared at her, his expression unreadable and then he backed away from her before turning and walking away quickly and Petra wanted to laugh when she noticed he was clenching his butt as he made his escape, fearing another grab…this was too fun.

Petra played her little game throughout the entire night and by the time the club was closing, Auruo was purposely avoiding being anywhere near her. As soon as Annie closed the door behind the last customer and locked it, Petra put her seating charts away, pushed her stool under her desk and then made her way towards the bar where the employees were gathering. Auruo glanced around and saw her coming and immediately sat down at the bar, effectively taking away her target, she gave him a disappointed look and he sniffed, looking proud of himself for thwarting her evil plan. Petra merely gave him an unconcerned glance and sat down next to him, laying down her money for Eld to fix her a chocolate martini.

"Jack and Coke too, please, Eld?" she told her friend and he nodded, knowingly. Soon he set both drinks down, sliding the Coke to Auruo who took it with a sheepish expression and held it between both hands.

"Thanks," he mumbled before taking a long drink from the glass.

"We still going to the diner after work?" Eld asked the two of them.

"As far as I know," Petra said, looking at Auruo for his confirmation.

"Sure," he shrugged.

"What crawled up your ass and died, Bossard?" Gunther asked as she took the seat on Auruo's other side, "You've been grouchy all night."

"I'm always grouchy according to Petra," Auruo said into his glass before taking another drink.

"He's mad because I kept grabbing his butt all night," Petra stated honestly, knowing Eld and Gunther would just eat this information up. Auruo glared at her out of the corner of his eyes and she saw his lip curl into a snarl, flashing his canine teeth.

"Oh, really now?" Gunther leaned forward on the bar and gave Auruo a smug look, his eyebrow raised as if to say "told you so".

"If you don't get your face outta my face I can't promise not to break your nose," there was no joke in Auruo's tone and Gunther sat back again with a laugh.

"If you three want to head to the diner, I'll meet you there as soon as I close down the bar," Eld suggested, "Maybe once he gets some food in him he'll be less of a pissbaby."

Auruo let out a low growl and he spun his barstool around to stand. Despite his grumpy attitude, he offered his hand to help Petra off her stool and onto her feet and she accepted with a smile. Gunther followed them, his hands in his pockets and a smug half smile on his face as they headed down the block towards the diner.

"Are you mad at me?" Petra asked, jabbing Auruo in the ribs with her elbow.

"God, Petra, you've got the boniest fuckin' elbows," Auruo rubbed his side where she'd poked him, his face scrunched in a grimace.

"Are you just going to keep avoiding the question?" Petra didn't even acknowledge his complaint.

"Why would I be mad?" Auruo asked, tilting his head up slightly, looking like he was above such a thing, "I mean, it's not your fault…it's hard to resist my sex appeal."

Petra gazed at him in disbelief, a moment ago he'd been wearing his annoyance on his sleeves and now here he was throwing out quips like it was nothing special. She shook her head wordlessly and stepped into the diner as he held the door open for her, then he shut it hard which resulted in Gunther being shoved back outside. The large, dark haired man glared dangerously at Auruo through the glass for a moment before he grabbed the door handle and gave it mighty pull, successfully yanking it from his friend's hands like it was nothing. Auruo took off at a fast walk to their regular booth, grinning and looking amused with himself.

Petra slid into the booth and patted the seat beside her for Auruo to join her and he slid in beside her and immediately threw his arm around her shoulders, pulling her in close and leaning slightly to press a kiss to the top of her head. Gunther put his finger in his mouth like he was pretending to gag himself, but he smiled and leaned back against the booth as the waitress approached.

"Well, hello suga'!"

Oh good Lord…Petra knew that voice. April.

Sure enough, the beautiful redhead came to stand by the booth, her flame colored hair draped over her shoulders, her big eyes impeccably lined and shadowed; her lips red and lush…like a female Satan incarnate. Petra glanced at Auruo out of the corner of her eye and she noticed he was pointedly not looking at April, his eyes fixed on the menu he never used any other time like it was a bestselling novel.

"Auruo, it's been a while," April said, her thick Southern accent grated in Petra's ears like nails on a chalkboard, "I've missed you, you cutie."

Petra noticed Auruo's back stiffen and he turned his head slightly to look at April.

"Been busy," he muttered, his voice tense.

"Too busy for me?" April put her hand on her chest in fake shock, blinking her long lashes rapidly as looked down at him in disbelief, "Surely you're not too busy for another go?"

"April…" Auruo's tone was dangerous, the single word was an obvious warning, "Stop."

April locked eyes with Petra and then leaned forward, her chest nearly tumbling out of her tight fitting, low-cut uniform shirt and her lips dangerously close to Auruo's ear.

"That's not what you said when I had your cock in my mouth," she whispered, purposely loud enough for Petra to hear.

Petra stared, Auruo swallowed thickly and Gunther threw down his napkin, stood up and left. The atmosphere was thick with tension and Petra began shaking from the rage she was keeping pushed down inside.

"Remember that night?" April urged and Auruo stood up faster than Petra had ever seen him move, he glared furiously at the waitress but she didn't back down, her face smug as she matched him toe to toe.

"May I have a word with you?" Auruo's voice was low and heavy with threat.

"Of course, suga'," April agreed easily, sickeningly sweet sounding as she stepped back and headed for the back corner of the diner. Auruo watched her leave for a moment and then he turned around and looked down at Petra, desperation written on every inch of his face.

"I'll be right back…I need to…clear this up," he stuttered and then he trotted off to where April waited.

Petra heard him speaking to her in a harsh tone but she couldn't quite make out the words, he sounded angry but April just kept responding as if nothing he said had any sort of effect on her, her eyes wide with fake innocence and her lips in a perfect pout…it was just too much for Petra to handle so she grabbed her purse and bolted for the door and out onto the sidewalk, speedwalking back to the club for her car.

She drove home without even hesitating, not caring that she'd left him back at the diner, not caring that she was probably driving a bit erratically…she just wanted to get home and think and cuddle her cat and probably break a few things when she threw them at the wall.

She ran up the stairs to her level, all six flights without even feeling it, and threw open her apartment door. Bastard's claws skidded against the wood of the floors as he freaked out and ran away from the sudden appearance of his human, but he soon came padding back out of the hall, meowing his welcome. Petra scooped him up and buried her face in his fur, taking in a long inhale of his scent.

"Hey, Bastard," she whispered, her voice taut with frustration, "How's my baby?"

His loud purring answered her question and she set him back down on the floor and headed to the kitchen to pour him some food, then she placed her palms on the edge of her counter and leaned her weight onto her arms as she stared down at the floor.

"Ugh, men are horrible!" she said miserably, "He lied! I asked him before we even started dating if he was with her before me! He acted like that was a crazy idea!"

She smacked the counter and then clutched her palm when pain shot up her arm from the action, she sucked air in through her teeth, trying not to completely flip out…and then there was a knock on her door. Her phone buzzed at the same time and she glanced down at it. A new message from Gunther.

 _ **2:45 AM: Hey, are you ok? That was…harsh. April is a total bitch.**_

A knock at the door again and she assumed it was most likely Gunther checking up on her so she went and opened the door, putting on her best attempt at a non-effected expression…but it turned to pure seething rage when she came face to face with Auruo.

"What are you doing here?" she asked angrily, "I do NOT want to see you right now. You need to leave."

"Petra, I know you're upset but _please_ give me a chance to explain this!"

Petra opened her mouth to say something cruel and dismissive…but the look on his face was so genuine, so achingly desperate, that the words died in her throat. She sighed heavily and stepped back, gesturing for him to come inside and then she shut the door a little harder than necessary behind him. She leaned against it and crossed her arms, fixing him in a look that could kill.

"This better be really damn good," she informed him, "Because, right now, all I can get from this is that you lied right to my face about her. I asked you if you'd dated her and you literally laughed about it, you SWORE you didn't."

"I didn't," Auruo insisted, but his tone was flat and he hung his head in shame, "Remember…I told you I'm new to the whole dating thing…"

Petra squinted at him, not quite understanding how this comment was supposed to clear anything up.

Auruo raised his head and looked at her for a long time in silence, his eyes flicking from one of hers to the other as if he was trying to read her mind. Finally he let out a long, drawn-out exhale and ran his hand through his hair.

"I never dated April," he said quietly, "I never dated anyone…you asked me if I dated her and I told you no. It wasn't a lie, it was…a loophole."

"So she…that actually happened? What she said…" Petra felt a lump forming in her throat, her chest tightening.

"Yeah, ok? Yes." Auruo ran his hand down his face and pinched the bridge of his nose, "I had a one night stand with April."

"You son of a…" Petra pushed off the door and pulled it open, pointing into the hall, "Get out."

"But…"

"GET OUT!"

And, for a moment, she almost caved, she almost closed to the door to listen like a logical person and hear him out, because the look on his face was so full of fear and anguish and she saw his jaw begin to quiver as he fought back some strong emotion…he looked so vulnerable, like one word could break him.

But she didn't change her mind and he swallowed hard before he slowly made his way past her and into the hallway. She didn't hesitate once he was out, she slammed the door hard and locked it immediately, but then had a second thought and flung it open again.

"Hey!" she called after him and he stopped, turning to look at with such a hopeful expression that it made the ache inside her even worse because of what she was about to do. He came trotting back to her door and waited silently for her to explain why she'd called him back. "Give me the key."

"The…?"

"THE KEY, AURUO!" Petra snapped, holding out her hand expectantly, "The key to my apartment. I know you have one, give it back."

He looked like she'd slapped him right in the face and his eyes dropped to the floor immediately, as if he couldn't bear to meet her eyes, and he dug in his pocket for a moment before he pulled out his keys and removed one from the ring and handed it to her. Petra noticed as their palms met in the exchange that he was shaking and she bit her bottom lip hard as she stared at their hands and then she yanked hers back with key clutched in her now closed fist.

"I…I'm…" he was struggling to speak and she heard the tremor in his voice…but he finally gave up and turned away from her, hands stuffed deep in his pockets and his back hunched as he headed down the hall again towards the stairs.

Petra shut her door and locked it, throwing the spare key into her catchall drawer before she ran to her bedroom and threw herself onto the bed, shoving her face into her pillow to muffle the scream of frustration, confusion, and anger that she finally released.

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 **So angsty…poor Petra! Poor Auruo! POOR GUNTHER HAVING TO HEAR THAT!**

 **It's 5 AM and I still have not gone to sleep…so I should probably do that now...**


	17. Chapter 17

**Spent literally my entire day drawing Attack on Titan characters…like from 7 AM until now (it's 10:20 PM…) my hand is killing me xD**

 **Time to take a break and write!**

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Petra woke up to the sound of her phone going off, not a text buzz but an actual ringing that demanded her attention and she reached over and grabbed it to check the caller I.D. It was Gunther.

"Hello, Gunther," she rasped, voice still heavy with sleep.

"Hey, Petra," the deep voice of her friend sounded very nice in her ear, "I wanted to ask you if you'd like to go to the zoo with Eld and I?"

Petra scrunched her eyebrows together in confusion. What an odd request…

"Uh…yeah, sure," she finally replied.

"Great, we'll pick you up in about a half hour if that's good for you?"

"Ok, I'll get up and get dressed," Petra said with a yawn, "See you soon."

She hung up and saw that there was a message in her inbox so she opened it. She wasn't surprised to see the text from Auruo and she hesitated for a long time, her finger hovering over the message…and then she set the phone down and headed for the bathroom to get ready to go.

Freshly showered, teeth brushed, hair brushed, makeup applied and dressed in jeans and several layers on top, Petra returned to her bedroom to grab her boots from the closet and, as she sat down on the bed to pull them on, her phone went off. She glanced over and saw Auruo's name on the caller I.D. and she rolled her eyes, grinding her teeth. _Just leave me alone…why don't you just take the hint and give up?_

A knock on the door broke her from her thoughts and she jumped up and trotted across the living room and flung it open. Gunther and Eld stood there with matching grins on their handsome faces.

"You ready to go?" Eld asked.

"Just let me feed Bastard real quick."

Soon, the three of them were walking out the front door of the building and Petra was already feeling happier and at ease with her two friends as they chatted back and forth about random topics, none of which involved her fight with Auruo, and she was glad to get the problem out of her mind if only for a while. They piled into Gunther's car and headed for the zoo.

"So why the zoo?" Petra asked as she looked out the window at the passing buildings.

"Because you strike me as the type of girl who likes to go to the zoo," Gunther shrugged, "Animals are cute; I thought everybody liked to look at them."

"I do," Petra assured him, giggling at how worried he seemed about her liking the zoo.

"And we just wanted to spend some time with you," Eld added, "We don't get to see you much outside of work."

"That's true, I suppose," Petra turned her head to look at Eld, one eyebrow lifted slightly in doubt. She had a feeling there was more to this than what her two new friends were letting on, but she was letting it slide for the time being.

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Gunther and Eld paid for Petra's ticket into the zoo and they started perusing the various animals as they headed for the monkey house to see the lemurs since they were Eld's favorite.

"So what's your favorite, Gunther?" Petra asked as they stopped for a moment to watch the kangaroos because a few mothers were grazing with joeys fresh out of the pouch and it was just too cute to pass by.

"I like the bears," Gunther stated, "Not any particular kind, just all of them. Especially when they're out playing with the toys the keepers give them."

Petra had to agree that there were few things cuter than a bear tossing around a tire or a ball and acting as playful as a kitten with catnip.

"How about you?" Gunther asked, "What's yours? We'll go see it after the lemurs."

"I like zebras," Petra smiled to herself as she thought of the beautiful striped creatures, "They're so pretty."

The three friends left the kangaroos their grass munching and entered the monkey house where they slowly made their way through, laughing at the antics of the primates and stopping to appreciate the lemurs for a while. When they exited out the other side of the building, Gunther pointed across the nearest enclosure where a flock of flamingos were walking around in their pond.

"Zebras are the next one over," he stated as he eyed the zoo map.

Petra grinned and increased the pace around the flamingo enclosure, heading to where she could already see the black and white coats of her favorite animal. When she found a good viewing spot, she crossed her arms over the viewing rail and leaned her chin on her arm as she relaxed. The zebras were in a joint enclosure with a pair of ostriches and several camels, the majority of them were grazing as the ostriches strutted around keeping an eye out on the crowds, looking alert.

"Hey, looks like there's a new camel baby," Eld pointed out a female camel that was plodding around with a little carbon copy calf on her heels.

"We'll have to tell Auruo to come and see it," Gunther's tone was nonchalant, but Petra didn't miss the way his eyes flicked towards her as he mentioned their friend's name. She felt her back stiffen…he was the last person she wanted to think about today but she couldn't stop herself from being curious.

"Why's that?" she asked, begrudgingly.

"Camels are his favorite," Eld explained gently, taking notice of her tone, his blue eyes scanned her as if he was judging her reaction, "He thinks they're funny and he likes how they run."

 _God…he_ would _think something that adorable._ Petra thought to herself, sadly. She frowned and now she was watching the baby camel and imagining standing here with Auruo as he commented on the calf…she could just see the lopsided, gentle smile on his lips, his eyes soft as he watched it trotting along to keep up with its mother.

"Have you…talked to him since?" Gunther asked quietly, his deep voice shook Petra from her thoughts and she turned her head to give him a doleful look.

"He came by after and tried to talk to me about it," she admitted quietly, "But I…kicked him out and took back my key from him. I've been ignoring his calls and texts ever since."

"Isn't that…kind of harsh?" Eld asked carefully, he seemed afraid of her response but Petra just sighed heavily and turned her eyes back to the camels.

"I guess so," she muttered grimly, "But I just don't want to even look at him right now. I need some time to think things over."

"You want to vent a little?" Eld offered, "I mean, Gunther and I have known him for quite a while and we're pretty good friends, maybe we can help if we knew the story from both sides?"

Petra lifted her head and looked closely at her two friends, searching their faces for any kind of bias or hidden agenda, but all she saw was genuine concern and curiosity…and she truly _did_ want to vent to someone.

"I just don't get it," she began softly, her eyes focused on a caterpillar as it scooted along the railing, "He seemed so sweet and genuine…I thought he was really a good guy. I thought he was different, but he's just like every other guy I ever dated and the second I started feeling like I could trust him it turns out he'd been lying to me? I asked him before we even started dating if he'd been in a relationship with April and he made a big joke out of it. He made it seem like he didn't want anything to do with her…and then come to find out he slept with her?! I mean…what else has he been lying about, I wonder?"

The two men stood there quietly through her angry tirade with matching looks of sympathy on their faces.

"I don't ask for much out of any relationship or even friendship, but honesty is something I don't compromise on," Petra continued, on a roll now that she was started. The proverbial dam that was holding back her emotions over the issue was beginning to break, "No offense, you guys, I know he's your friend, but I just can't trust him right now…not after that. I mean, I want to, I _really_ want to because I really enjoy being around him, he made me laugh and he seemed to genuinely care for me and he was there when I was feeling low….but if you don't have trust, you don't have anything, am I right?"

Eld blinked rapidly and his eyes were focused on the caterpillar now as well, like he was thinking hard. Gunther was biting his bottom lip, almost as if he was biting back something he really wanted to say.

"Come on, guys, tell me what you think," Petra pushed, "I'm so tired of all this lack of communication."

"I'd tell you everything about Auruo in a heartbeat, Petra, I really would," Eld spoke up, "But I honestly think you need to discover it all for yourself. You've already said you enjoy his company and he makes you laugh and he's been there when you needed him…so to suddenly forget all of that over one issue seems a bit extreme."

"This isn't just some small issue though, Eld," Petra said unhappily, "It's pretty serious."

"It is, it definitely is," Eld assured her, "But I think maybe you should…talk to him about this."

Gunther stepped up, slightly in front of Eld to shield his friend from Petra's death glare.

"What he means, Petra," he quickly stated, "Before you make a final decision about whether or not you want to give him a second chance, you should maybe hear what he has to say."

Petra sighed heavily.

"Listen, Petra," Gunther continued, "I'm not saying he's innocent in this, but…you said yourself all those things about him that you like and that make him a great guy and I'm just thinking maybe you need to give him the chance to explain."

"I don't want to talk about this anymore," Petra decided, turning her attention back to the zebras and camels.

"I just want to make sure you don't make the wrong choice," Eld said quietly, "We're not on his side or your side exclusively, you know? We really just don't want either of you to be seriously hurt over this."

"I know," Petra acknowledged him quietly.

"I just know one thing for sure," Gunther added his two cents, "The way he acts around you and the things he says about you are different than any other girl I've ever seen him with."

"What do you mean?" Petra perked up, suddenly interested. What had he said about her?

"Like I said," Eld said gently, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder, "You should talk to him if you want to know his side of things."

"So…how many women has he been with for him acting differently to be so noticeable?" Petra changed course, her disgust with the possible answers was obvious in her tone.

"Auruo's not one to kiss and tell," Gunther stated honestly.

Petra had a feeling they knew more than they were letting on but she was tired of discussing the sore subject…she just wanted to enjoy her day at the zoo with her friends and forget about her problems for a while. But, she had decided, maybe she would give Auruo a chance to convince her he wasn't a lying asshole that evening at work.

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Petra walked into work feeling nervous about confronting Auruo, but determined to do it anyway…however, that wasn't going to be in the cards. She took her seat at her hostess desk and waited for him to show up, but Levi came in from the back instead and called the servers together and marched them in her direction, looking slightly annoyed.

"Petra, we need to make some changes to the seating chart," he told her, nodding in the direction of the servers.

"Um, sure," Petra pulled out the chart and laid it out for Levi to examine. Her boss took her pencil and erased Auruo's name from the table section where he was to be stationed and drew loops from the other servers around the tables nearest their sections.

"Alright, each of you guys will have some extra tables tonight," he announced, handing the chart back to Petra with a nod, "Bossard called in sick so you'll need to cover his tables."

Petra looked up in surprise as the servers began to disband to their sections.

"Levi," she called and he turned around to give her his attention, "Auruo's sick?"

"Well, I don't know if he _is_ or not," Levi explained simply, shrugging as if it was nothing special, "I figured you would know since you're his girlfriend. Fact is, he's never called in to work since he started working here so, sick or not, he's earned a night off if he needs it."

Geez, was there a better boss in the entire working world than Levi? Petra stared after him as he made his way across the club and took a seat the bar, spinning the stool around to watch the flow of customers as they began to file through the door. Petra jumped into her job with her regular fervor but it was definitely a show tonight because her mind was not on the people she paraded people to their tables…she was thinking about the phone sitting in her hostess desk, filled with unanswered text messages and a voicemail that she had been ignoring for a day and a half from Auruo.

Finally, the tables were filled and she had a while to sit at her desk while the food was served and the band played a few upbeat numbers to start out the evening. Petra pulled out her phone and took a deep breath before she opened the waiting messages.

" _ **Petra…I really think we should talk this over…"**_

" _ **Hey, dewdrop…I'm really sorry…please just let me explain…"**_

" _ **Petra? Please don't just shut me out like this."**_

Then the one from that morning after the call she ignored.

" _ **Are you done with me? At this point…I don't even know where we stand. Please answer…"**_

Petra could almost _feel_ the emotions behind the texts, the rejection and the confusion and the fear of them being done as a couple…she knew she had to make her choice, but she couldn't do that until she heard the whole story like Eld and Gunther suggested she do.

"Gunther," Petra whispered, waving him over. He looked at her funny for a moment but he walked over and cocked his head at her.

"What's up, Petra?" he asked.

"I…I need to go and talk to him," Petra admitted softly, hanging her head, "I need to make a choice here…if I want to give him another chance or not so I want to go and hear his side of the story."

"For him not to show up to work…he must be feeling pretty out of sorts," Gunther informed her.

Petra nodded in understanding and then she let out a sigh and went to find Levi. She knocked on his office door and she heard him call her inside. Thankfully, Hanji was in there discussing something budget related and immediately offered to cover the hostess position for the night so Levi simply waved at Petra dismissively, giving his permission for her to go.

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A half hour later found Petra walking as fast as she could the short way between the subway stop and Auruo's apartment building, keeping her eyes open for any unsavory characters along the way. Finally, she reached the steps and pulled open the door to the front of the building, just a tiny foyer with three doors separating the sections of the apartment building. She opened the left door and headed up the dingy stairwell to the third floor and down the dimly lit hallway towards apartment 316, stopping to examine the tarnished silver numbers for a long moment before she raised her hand and knocked.

Several moments passed and she had a mad urge to turn tail and run while there was still time…but then the door opened.

Petra's hand shot up to cover her mouth and her eyes widened at the sight of Auruo as he stood there in the doorway staring at her in shock. His hair was sticking up every which way, his mouth turned down in a frown that made the lines on his face seem deeper and more pronounced, his eyes were half closed with massive dark circles underneath them and he was clad in sweatpants worn thin from consistent wear and a white tank top. If Petra didn't know any better, she would think he actually _was_ sick…but she knew he looked like this from lack of sleep and intense worry.

"Petra?" his voice sounded strange, scratchy, "What are you doing here?"

Petra stared at him a little longer, taking in the sad image, and then she looked away to focus on the door frame.

"I wanted to come and talk with you about last night," she admitted quietly, "I'm ready to listen now."

"You shouldn't have come out here, Petra," Auruo said as he scrunched his eyebrows together, "This ain't a safe neighborhood, babe."

They both look shocked at his term of endearment and he got a pained look on his face for a second before he quickly hid it behind a mask of indifference and he nodded into his apartment. Petra stepping inside, her mind whirling with the obviousness of his concern for her even now.

"Sorry about the mess," Auruo stood in the center of the small room that was a combo kitchen and living room, twisting his hips slightly in obvious embarrassment of his living space. Petra didn't much care about the state of his apartment at the moment and she just nodded and bent down to pet Idjit as the small dog bounced excitedly near her feet in greeting.

"It's fine," she said quietly, feeling extremely nervous all of a sudden about the discussion about to take place. Auruo was shuffling from foot to foot and rubbing the back of his neck nervously as she eyed him expectantly.

"So…you want to hear me out this time?" he asked quietly.

"Yes," Petra admitted, "I need to make a decision about whether or not I want to give you a second chance…Eld and Gunther told me I needed to give you the opportunity to tell me your side before I choose."

The look of hope that came over Auruo's tired looking face made Petra's heart soften slightly…however tonight turned out she hoped they could remain friends even if they couldn't be anything more because, she had to admit, she didn't want to give him up completely.

"What…do you want me to say?" Auruo was asking, shaking her from her thoughts.

"I don't want to have to coach you what to say, Auruo," Petra informed him, "I want you to tell me the truth about this whole situation and clear up this lie you told. Gunther and Eld seem to think that I'm different than the women you've had before I came along…and I need you to convince me like you have them convinced because I'm not just going to be another notch on your belt."

Auruo's mouth fell open slightly and he looked at her with a slightly injured and surprised expression.

"Petra…is that…is that what you think?" he asked softly, his tone sounded hurt.

"I don't really have any reason not to at this point," Petra admitted unhappily, "I don't _want_ to think that, of course I don't, but all I know right now is that you lied to me about something very specific. It's hard to trust you right now."

Auruo was silent for a long time, his eyebrows twitching as he went through various emotions in his mind. Finally, he looked up and met Petra's eyes with determination.

"So…you want me to be honest? Completely honest?" he asked.

"Yes."

Auruo nodded, almost more to himself than anything else and he put a hand on her shoulder to gently guide her to the couch where he sat heavily and patted the cushion next to him. Petra sat on the opposite end of the couch from him and faced him, waiting for him to speak.

"Alright," he said, crossing his arms over his chest almost like he was protecting himself, "Ask away. What exactly do you want to know?"

"Is April the only one?" Petra asked the question that had been dogging her since the previous night and she braced herself for the inevitable answer.

"No."

"How many others since you dropped out of college?"

Auruo thought for a moment and then he looked off to the side, his eyes locked on the corner of his tattered coffee table.

"About twelve," he admitted quietly.

Petra felt a little sick to her stomach at that admission…the number was actually lower than she feared but higher than she hoped.

"I thought you said you quit all that shit after college?" she said, her voice strained.

"I quit all the other shit," he said genuinely, "But…I mean, it's not…it's not about the numbers and I'm not trying to be some sort of sexual conquistador…"

Petra cocked her head in annoyance at his obvious attempt to play down the issue at hand and he looked at her for a long moment, seeming as if he was running something over in his mind and debating inwardly.

"I just need you to know, Petra," he said slowly, carefully, "That I never intended for this to hurt you and it's not something about myself that I'm proud of. I…just…sometimes, you know…it's good to feel…wanted."

Petra wasn't sure what she had been expecting, but this was definitely not it. She thought maybe he'd put up some big front and act like it was no big deal and that the past was the past or some tough guy shit like that…but here he was, letting the walls crumble down and showing her the truth.

"You use sex as validation?" she asked quietly.

"I…guess that's one way to say it," Auruo's voice was extremely strained, and he was looking almost as if the words physically hurt to say out loud, "It just…gives you the impression of being…better than you really are."

"So why didn't you tell me about April and the others?" Petra asked, giving him a break from the seemingly painful subject of his self-consciousness.

Auruo let out a long exhale, obviously glad for the change of subject and he looked up at her through his eyelashes.

"I didn't want you to know," he admitted gently, "I wanted to do things different with you and I didn't want to give you a bad impression…at that point we weren't dating and I didn't want to ruin my chances. But…I guess my cover-up screwed me over more than the truth would have. Maybe."

"Why do you want to do things different with me?" Petra asked, a little bit more harshly than she intended, "Isn't the end result all the same to you?"

And the sharp inhale and the way his face changed as if she'd physically struck him made Petra regret her words immediately.

"You…you think I'm just…?" he stuttered, "I never…that's not what this is about, Petra! Did I ever give you that impression? I…I never meant to…I really wanted to do things different this time because I feel so different about you than any girl I've known before. You're not some sort of cheap lay…you're…you're…"

Petra waited, leaning forward despite her promise to herself earlier to stay aloof and to leave him hanging a while before she made her decision.

"I'm what, Auruo?"

He looked up at her then with such raw honesty in his eyes and written in every inch of his entire being that it almost took her breath away.

"You're...perfect."

 _Oh god._ Petra gaped at him, she had definitely not expected that.

"I'm serious, Petra," Auruo continued quickly, "You're so good, you're so…sweet and kind and gentle and you're not the type of girl who goes for a guy like me. But, damn it, I wanted you to…I wanted you to so bad and so I decided right away I was going to treat you the way a woman like you deserves to be treated and I wasn't going to make this relationship about me."

"So you kept it a secret because you didn't want me to think you had an alternate motive?" Petra reiterated the main point to be sure she heard correctly.

"Yes," Auruo sighed, seeming relieved at finally having said his piece, "I promise, Petra, I only ever wanted our relationship to be real…and definitely not something easy and cheap. I just…I guess I went about it the wrong way."

And that was really all Petra needed to hear. She let down her angry, aloof façade and she gave him a genuine smile and she saw the nervousness and fear slide off his features and his shoulders relaxed as if a weight had been dropped from them.

"I guess I need to make a decision now, huh?" she asked softly.

"You don't have to decide right now," Auruo told her gently, "I mean…I upset you pretty bad so I know you may need some time to think this over."

"No, I really don't," Petra assured him, "I've decided."

She didn't say anything right away, leaving him hanging on purpose for a long, silent moment. Finally she gave him a soft-eyed look and smiled.

"I want to give us another try, Auruo," she told him.

Auruo let out a long sigh and he closed his eyes, a smile crept across his face.

"God, Petra, thank you," he whispered, "I'm sorry I put you through this."

"I just want you to be honest with me, Auruo," Petra reminded him as she scooted closer to him, she reached out and placed her hand gently on the side of his face. He watched her carefully, waiting for her next move, "I have had a lot of relationships in the past that didn't have any level of trustworthiness…and I don't want that again."

"I'll do my best, Petra," Auruo whispered, turning his head slightly to press his lips to her palm.

And Petra knew he would…and she couldn't wait to start over again with their newfound foundation of understanding and honesty.

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 **I had every intention of getting TWO chapters out today but that didn't happen and I'm sorry!**

 **But here is what I have to offer you and I hope it's up to snuff after my long dry spell while I was visiting my family this week!**


	18. Chapter 18

**Been working on my other fic today, Bravery, so my time's been split between two fics and taking my cat to the vet and drawing and all sort of stuff!**

 **But here's another chappie for you all.**

 **M Rating comes into effect this chapter, fyi.**

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The ringing of her cellphone jerked Petra awake and she flipped over, half her blankets spilling on the floor, to look at who the hell would possibly be calling at this time of the morning. She grabbed the phone and lifted it up to examine it with her tired eyes. Auruo, of course.

"Auruo, it's seven in the morning…"she groused into the phone with her deep, scratchy morning voice, "What do you want?"

"Well, someone's just a little ray on sunshine in the morning, aren't they?" Auruo's snarky voice filled her ear.

"Please just tell me what you want at such an ungodly hour, you dork," Petra grumbled.

"Well, funny story," Auruo's tone suggested that the story was actually anything _but_ funny, "I, uh, showed up at my construction job today and, um, the whole thing is…off."

"Off?" Petra echoed, her foggy brain not comprehending.

"Yeah…like, the guy who was funding the build went bankrupt and I just lost a job kind of off."

"Oh, damn, Auruo," Petra was awake now, her chest tight with worry, "I'm so sorry."

"Yeah, it's…not ideal…" Auruo sounded a bit stressed, "I, uh, was wondering if maybe you'd like to spend the day with me since I guess I'm not working until the club opens tonight? And, um, your place is closer to the site than my place…and a couple hours of extra sleep this morning would be awesome so I was hoping I could crash in your guest room again for a bit?"

"Sure," Petra answered with no hesitation, "Get on over here."

"Actually…"

Petra heard knocking at her front door and she smiled and shook her head, realizing he was already on her "doorstep" so to speak. She rolled out of bed and rubbed her tired eyes as she half-stumbled across the apartment towards the door, opening it wide to find Auruo standing there in his jeans, white t-shirt and work boots, sporting a reflective work vest and holding a safety helmet under his arm. He was lacking the sweat and cement fleck of the previous time she'd seen him wear this but he looked just as good as he stood there with an embarrassed smile on his face.

"You just assumed I would let you in, huh?" Petra asked, blocking the doorway so he couldn't get in quite yet, "What if I had said no?"

"Then I guess I would have left and gone home," Auruo shrugged as if it meant nothing to him either way, he put on his best 'don't give a shit' expression and waited patiently for her to let him in. Petra rolled her eyes, thinking that he looked a lot like he did the first time she'd seen him, aloof and smug…but she knew better now and it didn't faze her like it had back then.

"Alright, sourpuss, come on in," she stepped aside and ushered him in, closing the door behind them, "Guest room's all ready for you and you woke me up out of a dead sleep so I'm gonna go back to bed with Bastard and you can do whatever you want."

She flailed her arm at him in what may have been a 'see you later' type of wave but she wasn't sure exactly, she just knew her eyes were getting heavy again and her limbs weren't working properly and she needed to get back in her bed and pass out. She saw him flash an amused grin her way a moment before she shut her bedroom door and plopped into bed, sleep overtaking her the minute she pulled the covers over her.

A few hours later, a knock on her bedroom door made Petra open her eyes again and she sat up quickly as a jolt of fear shot through her. Who the hell was knocking on her door? Oh…wait…Auruo…

"Yes?" she called out.

"Wake up, you're so lazy!" Auruo replied from the other side of the door, "Your cat is hungry and he won't leave me alone and I can't find the cat food!"

Petra yawned a massive yawn and grumbled that she would be out in a second, then she got up and went to her dresser to pull out a pair of jeans and a t-shirt to start the day in and pulled on a pair of fuzzy socks to keep her feet warm. Today being the last day of September, the approaching autumn chill was starting to become more and more noticeable and she was putting off starting up her heat until the last possible moment.

Petra made her way to the kitchen and came upon a comedy routine playing out there. Bastard was up on the counter, spinning in tight circles and making chirping noises, stopping once in a while to rub his cheek against Auruo's nose because Auruo was leaning over far enough to make eye-contact with the demanding animal, a snarl pulling his lips back from his teeth as he scolded him.

"Just hold your damn horses, you flea motel," he grouched as Bastard went into another spin, "Your mom is comin'. You sure as hell don't look like you're starving to me!"

"Oh, good grief, you two," Petra giggled, and Bastard immediately leapt down from the counter and skidded across the tile floor to run up to her and curl around her legs, meowing at her as if he hadn't had a meal in weeks. She rolled her eyes and did the "cat-owner walk" across the kitchen to the cupboard where she kept the cat food and pulled out a can of it.

"Oh, canned food, huh?" Auruo said as if he'd just had a lightbulb go on in his mind, "I was looking for a bag of dry food."

"I usually have some but I need to make a run to the store soon and get more," Petra explained as she scooped the food into Bastard's dish. The grey beast of a cat immediately tore into the meat, letting out little growls through his mouthfuls that sounded far more cute than threatening.

Auruo watched the cat with a look of amusement on his face, obviously enjoying the "mwrowr rowr rowr rowr" noises.

"Your cat is…special," he said as he followed Petra out of the kitchen.

"Yep," Petra replied simply, "I'm gonna get ready for the day, be right back."

A shower, hair brushing, teeth brushing and make-up applying session later and Petra was ready to face what the day had to offer. She threw open the bathroom door and skipped into the living room, plopping down on the couch net to Auruo who put his arm behind her immediately across the back of the couch, he grinned at her and nodded for her to scoot closer. So she did.

"What would you like to do today?" she asked him, remembering his comment about wanting to spend the day with her.

"Aw, gee, I dunno," Auruo said with a shrug, "I just missed you after that fight."

"I missed you too," Petra admitted softly, "I mean…I was really upset and mad at you but the whole time I wanted to be the wrong one because I didn't want it to be true."

"Now that I've met you, Petra, believe me I wish I could go back and change it all," Auruo sighed, "I wasn't thinking about how my choices might affect anyone else but me at the time."

"Can I ask you something?" Petra hesitated slightly, wanting to address the subject she'd let go the other day but she was a bit worried about how he would react now in a relaxed setting when he wasn't backed against a wall and forced to be honest.

"Uh…sure, I guess," Auruo agreed slowly, eyeing her warily.

"What exactly did you mean the other day when you told me you did it to feel wanted?" Petra blurted it out before she lost her nerve. And she got exactly the reaction she expected.

"You would remember that…" Auruo grumbled, squeezing the bridge of his nose between his thumb and finger as he squeezed his eyes shut, looking as if it was the most unpleasant thing he could ever have to discuss.

Petra waited patiently, knowing that he would eventually break and spew it out like word vomit if she let him do it in his own time. Sure enough, after several long minutes of him making unhappy noises and grumbling about her being "nosy", he finally let out a long sigh and leaned back against the couch cushion.

"I guess it just…geez, Petra, I mean…I'm not really the best looking guy out there, ya know?" he stuttered out the beginning of his explanation, "So when I had the opportunity I would take it because…they don't come along too often."

Petra gaped at him in disbelief. Ok, sure, he wasn't your typical dreamboat type of guy with the bright blue eyes and the perfectly tamed hair and the football player shoulder width and maybe his facial features were a bit more worn than a lot of people his age but…these things were what she liked about him! She liked his heavy lidded hazel eyes and his ashy blonde hair that tended to sport some crazy flyaway pieces and his slender build was perfect for her since she was so small, she never felt like he dwarfed her but she still felt petite and safe beside him since he was still broad and tall enough for her taste. As for his face…well she adored it. She loved his slightly oversized, rounded nose and his wide mouth that was always ready with a wide smile for her when he saw her, she loved the strong line of his jaw and she absolutely adored the lines at the corners of his eyes and around his mouth because they spoke volumes to fact that he had a ready and intense smile. In Petra's eyes, he had no reason at all to feel the way he did about himself…and she wasn't going to stand for it.

"Are you crazy?" she asked, her voice slightly shrill with her level of disbelief and he gave her a very odd look, one eyebrow cocked up.

"Uh…"

"Who ever told you that?" Petra cut him off, waggling her finger in his face which caused him to shrink back against the couch cushion, "Well, anyway, it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks now beside me, right?"

"I guess…yeah?" Auruo answered, somewhat unsure of the point of the question as he leaned even further away from her finger that was dangerously close to his eyes.

"Well, _I_ think you're extremely good looking and anyone who says differently must be blind or just plain stupid and lacking in good taste!" Petra stated firmly, "You shouldn't be so down on yourself, Auruo, you really don't have any reason…you…you're…"

And Petra finally realized the level her intensity had reached and she clamped her lips together in a tight line, staring in horror as Auruo's expression turned from shock and amazement to something much different. His eyes softened and he gave her a small smile before he took her hand that she'd been shaking in his face and pressed his lips to the back of it in a gentlemanly way.

"You're not so hard to look at yourself," he said, a hint of his familiar snark in his voice.

"Damn right," Petra gave him a smug smile, but she couldn't hold it for long and soon she was doubled over in laughter. Eventually she just laid down and curled into a fetal position at his side, her head rested on the top of his thigh.

She felt him stiffen from her sudden close proximity but he soon relaxed and she felt his hand slide into her hair and it sent tingles down her spine…she'd all but forgotten how fantastic it felt to have someone play with her hair while cuddled up on the couch. The feeling of his fingers threading through the strands, tracing the outline of her ear and jaw, tugging slightly once in a while to keep the motions from becoming mundane, each tug sending another tingle through her.

"Hey, I forgot to tell you," Auruo's voice was soft and when Petra opened her eyes and turned her head slightly, she noticed he had his head laid back and his eyes were closed as he played with her hair, "I went through my FaceSpace page and my phone contacts and cut ties with every girl I've ever been with, including April."

Petra stared up at him in surprise. That admission had come out of nowhere but it was like music to her ears…she had to admit she had thought about asking him to do it, but she had remained quiet on the subject so far. And she was glad she had now…because he'd made the choice on his own and that made her happier than he was probably even aware of. He cracked open one eye and looked down his nose at her, trying to judge her reaction.

"I just…thought you'd want to know," he said, sounding slightly unsure, "I figured it would make you happy."

And it did. It did indeed. In fact…it was enough for her to feel the trust in him come back to her completely and she suddenly felt like he deserved a little bit of a reward for his truthfulness and his openness with her; she had just the reward in mind.

She wasn't going to deny that she'd thought about this several times in the last week, imagined every aspect from initiation to conclusion…but she felt her nerve start to waver now that she was actually faced with the real possibility of something she'd only imagined before this. Taking a deep breath, she sat up and twisted around to face him, sitting on her heels with her knees bent, she studied his face for a moment before she leaned forward and placed her hands on his cheeks and captured his lips with hers. He was surprised, she noticed from the quick inhale through his nose and the way he tensed before he joined in the kiss…and Petra was reminded of the first time they'd kissed, that long, slow, sensuous one against her kitchen counter.

"Hmm, what was that for?" Auruo breathed out when Petra pulled back from the kiss.

"Well…I just thought you deserved something special…" Petra whispered, and she wasted no more time on formalities, she slid right off the couch and knelt between his knees, pushing them apart to get closer while her hands went right for their target: the buckle of his belt and the zipper of his jeans.

"Uh…P…Petra?" she looked up from under her lashes as she sat up straighter, closer, getting into the perfect position for her plan of action, "I…uh…what are you…?"

He was staring at her like he'd never seen her before and she noticed a hint of fear in his expression…what was he worried about? She didn't stop her advance, flipping the buckle of his belt apart and popping the button of his jeans easily, then she slid the zipper down but didn't make any further move to delve deeper. Instead, she laid her open palm over him, feeling him firm and warm under the material, and rubbed quickly upwards and then back down again. The sudden and violent twitch beneath her hand told her she was doing something right.

"Fuck, Petra…you don't have to…"

"Shhhhh," Petra put her free hand up to his lips, successfully silencing him, but he still stared down at her with wide eyes, tinged with worry, and she gripped him as best she could through the thick material of his jeans and smiled at the response he gave her: he bucked slightly into her hand, his head dropped back slightly and his eyes closed. She knew this was the time to strike.

"Auruo," she whispered, her hand moving slowly so he wouldn't realize she was going for it, "Thank you for everything…now, this is what you get for being honest with me."

His eyes shot open and he looked down at her, pulling his hips back into the couch like he was trying to get away from her hand.

"Wait, Petra, there's something I gotta…"

But it was too late. Petra had already gotten enough of a grip on him that his backwards jerk of his hips caused him to practically tumble right out into her eager hands...all seven, rock solid, _uncircumcised_ inches. Petra stared for a long moment and she realized she probably should have let him say his piece so she wouldn't have been so surprised.

"Oh," It was all she could manage at the moment, she was studying the long anticipated part of him in her hands very closely because this was honestly brand new to her.

"Yeah…I was gonna tell you…" Auruo said, his voice sounded slightly shaky and uncomfortable. Petra looked up and met his eyes and he bit his bottom lip so hard she swore he was going to draw blood and then he spoke up in a slightly panicked tone, "I'm sorry! I was…I was born in the kitchen of a farmhouse in rural France…it's just not something that you do there…I usually have the chance to explain before…geez, I'm sorry!"

Petra's eyebrows had raised higher and higher throughout his little tirade and by the time he finished they had reached their maximum height, she freed one hand and snapped her fingers in front of his face to get his attention.

"Auruo, calm down," she said firmly, "What is there to be sorry about?"

"I…just…past experiences…"Auruo struggled to explain his worry, "Most girls don't…they kind of get freaked out…"

Petra rolled her eyes and she slid her hand tantalizingly slow down the entire length of him and back again, never breaking eye contact as she watched his reaction to her touch. He sucked in a gasp of air and released it in a long, shuddering exhale, but he didn't look away from her either…she knew he was waiting on pins and needles for her to approve or disapprove.

"You need to stop being so self-conscious," Petra finally whispered, and she savored the feeling of the silky, solid weight of him in her hand, her thumb tracing tiny circles against his hot skin, "I admit…this is new, but I'm not freaked out, not at all. Now will you shut up and relax already? I've been wanting to do this for a long time!"

"You wha…ahhh!" his surprised question turned into a strained, shuddering exclamation because Petra was done talking, she'd gripped him firmly in her hand, gently tugging downward to expose the sensitive tip and she had leaned down and taken him between her lips without any further hesitation.

Petra wanted to smile at the sound she'd just caused to issue from him, but that was impossible at the moment so she settled for an inward thrill of accomplishment as she twirled her tongue in a circle around the smooth, slick head of the cock that had been taking up nearly every free corner of her mind in the recent days, she was probably enjoying this as much as he himself was…maybe. The little whining sounds coming from him as she worked were encouraging her to pull out all the stops and she took him a little deeper, fighting her gag reflex as he hit the back of her throat.

"Holy…oh, shit," Auruo squealed and his hips automatically bucked forward which resulted in Petra choking and pulling away to cough and give him a death glare.

"Don't be a jerk," she croaked.

"Sorry," Auruo had the decency to blush and look away in shame and Petra was right back at it only a second later and all was forgiven.

If she was going to be honest with herself, Petra had to admit this had never been her favorite activity and she had only done it when necessary or when it was requested of her…she'd never been the one to initiate. So why was this different? Why, all of a sudden, did she _want_ this as much as he did? Why did the slightly salty taste of him on her tongue not make her want to gag? Why did every little sigh, gasp and moan out of his mouth make her stomach flip with excitement? Why was this suddenly exciting and erotic and incredibly fun for her instead of just a chore to get over with?

 _Because_ , she answered herself, _this is different because you feel differently about him than any other guy before him. You want to please him, you want to make him feel good…and that makes all the difference in the world!_

And it did. Petra worked at relaxing her throat until she was able to take him in completely, purposely convulsing her throat around him and feeling an immense sense of accomplishment when he grabbed a fistful of the couch cushion and sucked in a sharp gasp, his eyes squeezed tightly shut, which caused the adorable crinkles at the corners of them to show up very obviously, and his brows scrunching together to create an expression of utter ecstasy. His other hand came up and pushed into Petra's hair, his fingers closing among the strands, putting a gentle pressure on her skull almost like he was guiding her closer without being demanding about it. She looked up at him from among the pieces of hair that were hanging in her face and gave him a wink.

"You are fucking incredible," Auruo's voice had deepened from the hormones rushing through him and, by god if the sound of his voice alone didn't make Petra want to jump his bones right then and there! "God, Petra, you're…oh hell…"

Petra pulled back and released him with an obscene "pop" and "slurp" combination of sounds and he looked at her in horror.

"Ah…you're not seriously going to stop, right?" he asked fearfully.

"Of course not," Petra informed him, "I just needed to take a breath. Calm your tits."

""You can't use my own phrases against me,"Auruo pouted, but his pout disappeared when Petra's head ducked back down and took him in her mouth again.

Petra didn't think she needed his snarky phrases when she had this to shut him up! But he wasn't quiet for long…soon enough he was wiggling beneath her, groaning and whimpering as she worked him closer and closer to the edge of sanity, she could feel the minute changes that told her he was getting very close.

"P..Petra…" Auruo's gasping words sounded as if they were difficult to say, his breathing was becoming erratic and she felt his thighs tensing under her hand where it rested to maintain her balance. "You gotta…b…back off…I…I'm gonna…"

Petra just looked up at him, her eyes unaffected and serious, sending him a message: she wasn't going to back off, not at all. She knew he understood because he gave up trying to talk her off of him and he let his head fall back, his teeth clenched, his hand fisted tightly in her hair to the point of almost being painful, and his hips raised up off the couch. Her name spilled from his mouth like a solemn prayer, followed by a long, loud string of what French words that Petra assumed would make even Levi blush if he heard them and he let himself go.

No matter how good she was at this and no matter how much she loved to watch him come apart in her mouth, knowing she was the cause of such a powerful reaction, this part was never pleasant and Petra called on every ounce of willpower she possessed to keep herself from pulling away as she felt the familiar hot and stickiness of cum coating her tongue and throat. Patiently, she waited until his moans and whimpers subsided into deep, desperate inhales and exhales and then she raised her head to lock eyes with him…and she swallowed thickly, making a show out of it. The look of absolute shock and disbelief and primal delight on his face was worth the bitter, slightly bleachy taste in her mouth…totally worth it.

"You…you're…are you even real?" Auruo asked breathlessly, the hazel of his eyes was barely visible around his dilated pupils and he stared at her like she was the most incredible thing he'd ever seen in his life. Maybe she was.

She gave him a wink and stood up to go to the kitchen and get a much needed drink to sooth the scratchiness of her throat. She filled a cup with tap water and took several large swigs of it, then she rinsed her mouth and spit into the sink for good measure.

"Sorry," Auruo's voice was soft behind her and she turned her head to find him leaning awkwardly against the support pole between the rooms, his jeans were still undone and hanging low on his hips, his t-shirt clung slightly to his chest where he'd worked up a sweat from their little activity. Petra liked this look on him, his eyes still dark and heavy and his limbs relaxed and limp from the aftermath of his climax. "I bet it tastes awful."

"I don't think it's meant to taste good," Petra teased easily, "Don't get all weird about it. I don't mind doing that for you once in a while."

"So…you're saying you'll do that again sometime?" Auruo looked like a kid in a candy shop the way his face lit up at the prospect.

"Maybe," Petra said with a mischievous grin, "If you do something to deserve it."

"You name it and I'll do it," Auruo assured her, and he pushed off the pole and walked up to her, pulling her close in a tight hug,

"Can we start by spending the afternoon cuddling on the couch before we have to go to work tonight?" Petra asked.

"I think I can manage that," Auruo gave her a wink and a lopsided smile and they returned to the couch to watch TV and snuggle for the last few hours of time they had left in the day together.

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 **I am freaking exhausted right now, like my eyes are literally drooping closed more and more every second and my brain is shutting down…so it's time to shut down the writing for the night.**

 **Hope this chappie is satisfactory! Let me know what you all think :)**

 **Lots of love, y'all!**


	19. Chapter 19

**Omg, you guys, I am sooooo sorry it's taken me so long to update! I've been not getting a lot of sleep lately, work's been running me ragged, I've been visiting family and friends, and I've been on my tumblr RP blog a LOT because I'm starting to get a lot of threads going (btw, if you're on tumblr, go on my blog mightymousespringer and check out my Connie and follow me if you're an AoT fan or if you want to RP with me!)**

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"What's Auruo's deal tonight?" Gunther was leaning on Petra's desk again, like he always did when he was obviously trying to weasel information out of her, "He's practically _skipping_ around his tables and I haven't seen him stop smiling since you two walked in here together tonight."

Petra dutifully ignored Gunther's question and continued to stare at the seating chart she'd made, erased and remade three times now since Gunther had come over to talk to her.

"Did you guys sleep together?" Petra looked up in surprised and found Marco standing there next to Gunther, fixing her in an amused stare.

"Is that really anyone's business?" Petra snapped at her friends and then growled because she'd broken her silence and they both looked incredibly smug.

"I knew it," Gunther said with a low chuckle, "A man doesn't look that happy under any other circumstances."

"Then he must have looked like this a lot…" Petra mused quietly, then she shook her head in annoyance at herself, "Wow, sorry, that came out of nowhere. Forget I said that."

"If you want an honest answer," Gunther said, his previous amusement gone in a moment, he was all seriousness now, "No, he was never like this with those others."

Petra watched her boyfriend for a long moment, resting her chin on her hands. He was, indeed, moving among his tables with fluid grace, a massive grin permanently plastered on his face, making his features all the more handsome.

"Well, guess what, boys?" she finally said to them, "We didn't sleep together, so your assumptions are way off."

Marco looked disappointed and one of his customers called to him for a refill so he pushed away from the desk and went to take care of it, but Gunther remained where he was and nonchalantly scanned the crowd.

"Maybe you two didn't sleep together, but something sure happened," he mused and then he left her as well, going back to his spot by the other side of the door to watch for disturbances.

AOT AOT AOT AOT AOT AOT AOT AOT AOT AOT AOT AOT AOT AOT AOT AOT AOT AOT AOT

The week passed fairly quickly for Petra, although she didn't see Auruo nearly as much as she wanted since he worked that Tuesday and Thursday and spent a lot of time at his place with Idjit…she started to feel like he was ignoring her.

When Saturday rolled around, he finally showed up at her apartment in the midafternoon.

"Hey, stranger," Petra greeted him eagerly, practically pulling him into the apartment before she grabbed his face and pulled him down to her level so she could capture his mouth in a demanding kiss. She'd thought about this all day and she was done pretending…she wanted him, and his absence that week had only reinforced that realization, "Auruo…I'm ready when you are."

He pulled back from her kiss and looked at her incredulously.

"Ah…ready for what?" he asked, nervously.

Petra blinked at him, wondering if he had honestly not understood her or if he was stalling.

"I…I want to…"

"Hey, Petra, I just wanted to tell you I won't be able to spend the afternoon with you today like I planned," he interrupted her quickly, looking uncomfortable and avoiding her eyes, "I, uh, something came up."

"Oh…" Petra felt her heart sink at his words and she looked down at the floor, feeling really stupid about what she'd very nearly admitted. Clearly he wasn't into the idea…

"Hey," his voice was soft and his hand came under her chin to tilt her face back up, he leaned in and gave her a kiss, a small and gentle one, "Don't get upset, alright? I promise I'll tell you why as soon as I can. Promise me you aren't going to think I'm avoiding you?"

She nodded, feeling numb and not really registering the words in her mind. He grinned at her and kissed her hand before he turned and left…just like that.

Work passed slowly and Petra's foul mood must have been showing on her face because no one teased her or spoke to her unless they absolutely had to. She put on a cheerful mask for her customers but as soon as they were at their table and she turned around, her face went right back to her dull and emotionless blank look. Auruo tried to speak to her a few times throughout the night but she quickly found something she "needed to do" anytime he attempted it and by the time it was time for the place to close down, Petra was more than ready to get out of there so she left without even saying goodbye to anyone.

She blared angry rock music all the way home and by the time she got home, she was all keyed up and growled as she slammed her door behind her. She knew deep down she was overreacting and he probably had a perfectly good reason for avoiding her that afternoon…

She sighed heavily and picked up Bastard as he came trotting up to her, heading for her bedroom to get into some comfy flannel pajama pants and one of her many oversized hoodies. Bastard laid on her bed, meowing at her as if he could sense her bad mood and Petra flopped down on the comforter next to him, pulling his furry warm body onto her chest where he settled in comfortably, purring loudly and closing his eyes as she scratched behind his ears.

"Men are so confusing, Bastard," she mumbled and the cat responded with a chirping mew, "I know, right? I mean…I feel like he knew what I was about to say and he just blew me off."

Bastard must have been tired of her drama because he stood and jumped off of her to the floor and trotted out of the room with his tail held high. Petra sighed and stared at the ceiling, a million thoughts running through her mind, mostly thoughts about Auruo.

A loud knock at the door jerked her from her reverie and she jumped up and ran to the door. _Auruo was here!_

But it wasn't Auruo standing on her welcome mat when she flung open the door, it was Samuel. She tried not to let her disappointment show, because Samuel was a friend and she shouldn't be disappointed about his visit.

"Hey, Samuel," she said with as best a smile as she could muster, "What can I do for you?"

"I'm supposed to come and get you," Samuel said with a grin that made Petra suspect her was hiding a secret, "Would you please follow me, Miss Ral?"

Petra blinked in surprise and grabbed her house slippers from the shoe rack by the door and followed Samuel down the hall towards the stairway.

"What's this all about, Samuel?" she asked as they headed up several flights. Samuel grinned over his shoulder and then pointed to the side stairs that led to the rooftop. The door was always kept locked and you had to get permission from the owner to go up there so Petra was even more confused…but excited to see the view of the city at night from the roof so she followed without asking any more questions…and she was glad she had when she emerged onto the rooftop behind Samuel.

Auruo stood there, hand in his pockets, looking at her sheepishly with a crooked smile on his oh so handsome face. All fear of rejection and him ignoring her was gone in an instant when she noticed the blanket and pillows spread out on the roof, candles lit and staggered around the area to cast some light in the darkness. Petra stood there, frozen on the spot in amazed disbelief and she vaguely heard Auruo thank Samuel for helping him with the surprise and then Samuel was gone and she was alone on the rooftop with him.

"Hey, you," his whispered and she basked in the sensation of his arms wrapping around her from behind, his lips pressing hot and soft on the side of her neck and then his breath was tickling her ear, "Are you mad at me for avoiding you today?"

"I was," Petra admitted in a whisper of her own, "I thought maybe I scared you away."

"Mmm," his voice vibrated against the skin of her neck as he ran the tip of his nose from her earlobe down to the crook of her neck and shoulder, "Crazy girl, come on over here."

And she felt herself being pulled gently by the waist, being led towards blanket where Auruo sat down and held a hand out for her, inviting her to sit beside him, so she kicked off her slippers and joined him eagerly, immediately cuddling close to his side to share his head in the chilly evening air. They sat in silence for several minutes, looking out over the city, taking in the sight of the thousands of lights surrounding them, feeling the cold autumn air blowing over them and filling their noses with the scents of the city and vanilla candles burning. After a while, Petra started to shiver and Auruo grabbed a blanket from behind them and wrapped it around her and then around him and laid back, pulling her down gently so she was halfway beside and halfway on top of him.

"So, what was it you were telling me earlier today when I stopped by?" he asked quietly, brushing her hair behind her hears so he could see her face better.

Petra felt the heat rushing into her cheeks and she was glad for the dim light of the candles and the glare of the city lights below that hid her blush from him.

"I…just wanted you to know that…I'm ready to…take the next step," she stuttered, suddenly extremely nervous as the words tumbled out of her mouth, there was no going back now.

"You are, huh?" Auruo's voice was thoughtful, hushed, like he was thinking very hard.

"Yes," she replied honestly, "I…I trust you and I am very, very attracted to you. Of course I want to have that experience with you."

She heard him let out a long sigh and his arm tightened around her slightly.

"We can, anytime you want," he assured her, "But I assume not here on the rooftop, right?"

Petra seriously considered it…and then nodded in agreement. No, the rooftop was probably not the best place to do such a thing, there were taller buildings nearby and if anyone looked out their windows they might get an eyeful of candlelit lovemaking.

"Definitely not," she giggled, rubbing her nose against his with a smile, "And I'm not ready to go inside yet, it's too beautiful out here. Let's watch the sunrise before we go in."

"It's already starting to get lighter," Auruo nodded towards the East horizon, "Shouldn't be more than an hour till sunrise."

So they laid together and talked about Bastard and Idjit and the occurrences at work that night and Gunther's suspicious nature. They pointed out constellations in the sky and drew their own new constellations with their fingers and gave them ridiculous names. By the time the sun came up, Petra was fast asleep, snoring slightly against Auruo's shoulder.

Auruo smiled gently at the woman beside him and stood up slowly and carefully so as not to disturb her. He gathered the burnt down candles along with the loose pillows and blankets and set them all together where he'd just been laying before scooping Petra up in his arms. She stirred, opened her eyes and looked at him before she fell asleep again and he laughed slightly at the adorable look of confusion on her face before he kicked open the rooftop door and headed down into the building with her, towards her apartment.

"Petra, I gotta set you down, ok?" he whispered and gently shook her awake when he reached her apartment door, "I gotta unlock this and I don't wanna drop you."

So he stood her on her feet and she just stared blankly at the wall with unfocused, exhausted eyes, swaying slightly as he unlocked the door and nudged it open, shooing Bastard away as he led Petra inside.

"C'mon," he whispered and walked her gently across the room towards her bedroom, "Get in bed and get some rest, sleepyhead."

Petra was nearly asleep again, but she was awake enough to know she didn't want him to leave and she grabbed his arm and pulled him back as he turned to leave her and head for the guest room.

"Please stay, Auruo," she whined, tugging him insistently, "Please, sleep with me tonight."

He hesitated for a moment before he finally promised her he would.

"Let me go get ready for bed, alright?" he said gently as he sat her down on the edge of the bed, "I'll be right back, you just get comfy and covered up."

He left her behind in the bedroom and headed for the bathroom to brush his teeth. It only took a few minutes but when he came back to the bedroom Petra was out like a light and snoring again, he looked down at her and smiled gently as he pulled back the sheets…and realized she'd stripped off her pajama pants and hoodie, sleeping in only a large t-shirt.

"Petra…you're lucky we're both tired a hell because…damn," he laughed and shook his head, following her lead and stripping down to his boxers before sliding under the blankets with her, pulling her into his chest in a typical big and little spoon position as he pressed a kiss to her temple. "See you in the morning, ladybug."

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 **Sorry if this felt a bit rushed, I wrote it while half asleep…like literally zombified like Petra…**

 **Next chapter is gonna be the best. I've been waiting to write it since this story began xD**


	20. Chapter 20

**Hey hey hey! I'm back! Time for the next chapter!**

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"Petra…"

The first thing Petra noticed when she was roused from her deep sleep was that Auruo was shaking her arm and hissing in her ear, the second thing she noticed was the sensation of something firm and hot pressing into the small of her back… _oh!_

"Petra, someone's in your apartment," Auruo whispered again and broke Petra from her gleeful appreciation of his obvious morning hard on. She froze and listened closely, sure enough, someone was walking around in her living room! "Are you expecting anyone?"

"No!" Petra whispered fearfully, eyes wide as she racked her brain to think of who would possibly be in her apartment, "And the only people with keys other than me and you is the landlord and my…my DAD!"

And, unfortunately, she was correct. Even more unfortunately, that was the moment her father chose to crack open her bedroom door and peer around the edge of the door. Almost immediately, his face turned from grinning and friendly to horrified and murderous as he took in the sight of his daughter, naked for all he knew since she yanked the covers up over bare chest, lying next to an equally "naked", strange man.

"DADDY!" Petra spoke up quickly, knowing from the way his face was turning bright red that he was about to blow, "Let me get a shirt on and I promise I'll explain! Please give me just a second!"

After another moment of him literally shaking with rage, Mr. Ral turned and left the doorway with a growl. Auruo rolled onto his back with a groan, his palms pressed firmly into his eyes.

"Oh, god, Petra, I'm a dead man," he said as Petra grabbed an extra-large shirt and a pair of shorts and threw them on before stumbling out of the bedroom to face her father.

"Daddy…" she began as she shut the bedroom door behind her, but she didn't get any more words out before her father rounded on her, eyes blazing and began his tirade.

"Petra Ral, I come to visit you after not hearing from you for nearly a week and THIS is what I find?! My daughter, screwing around with some stranger in the bed I pay for in this apartment that I pay for? I thought I could trust you, Petra! I thought you were better than this!"

Petra was too shocked by her father's harsh and unexpected words, dripping with venom that made her heart sting painfully in her chest, to even form a sentence in her defense. She heard the bedroom door open and she turned her head to find Auruo, clad only in a pair of flannel sleep pants and looking incredibly beautiful with his messy hair and well-muscled bare chest, leaning against the door frame, his eyes cold and his lips pressed into a tight line as he glared at her father.

"Look at this guy!" Mr. Ral continued, gesturing vaguely at Auruo, "How old is this guy, Petra? If you're going to fuck around, at least keep it in your age range! This is who you're throwing away your respect and good name for? You're not some nobody on the street, you're my daughter and you carry my name with you, people know what you do and it comes back to affect me and my business!"

Petra wanted to speak, she wanted to stand up for herself and for Auruo, but the words were settling heavy on her heart and she felt like her chest was being encircled by a python; she couldn't breathe.

"I'm ashamed of you…and your mother would be too."

At that moment, three things happened simultaneously. Mr. Ral immediately clamped his mouth shut and his eyes widened with horror at his words, Petra burst into tears and Auruo pushed off from the doorframe and advanced on Mr. Ral. He stepped up to him until their noses nearly touched, his hazel eyes flashing dangerously as his lips pulled back into a snarl, fists clenched so tightly at his sides that his knuckles turned white.

"Listen to me, Mr. Ral," he growled, "You can say whatever you want about me, I've heard it all before and I think you're right, Petra is way more than I deserve, but I am not going to stand here and listen to you talk to her like this."

Mr. Ral could only sputter in surprise at the sudden confrontation.

"This isn't how I wanted this meeting to go," Auruo continued, his voice less angry and more flat and bitter, "But I'm not going to bite my tongue just to make you hate me a little less. Petra is a grown woman and an incredibly smart one, she can make her own decisions and, if you can't trust her enough to believe she makes the right ones…then you can get the hell out of here."

"You can't throw me out of an apartment that I pay for," Mr. Ral's voice held a hidden threat and it soon came to light when he turned his head and looked straight at Petra, "Because if I'm the one who has to leave then you won't be getting another penny from me. It's your choice, Petra."

At that, Auruo stepped back, still seething but with a defeated acceptance on his face. He turned and headed in the direction of the guest room to retrieve his clothes and gather his things to leave, but Petra's hand shot out and grabbed his arm, stopping him in his tracks.

"No, Auruo," she said, her voice strained but she was no longer crying. She wiped away the lingering wetness under her eyes and raised her head, her expression stubborn and determined, "You stay…my _father_ will be the one leaving."

"Petra…" Mr. Ral's tone was a warning, but Petra ignored it and threw her shoulders back defiantly.

"No, dad, you don't get to come in here and assume you know anything about my life," she spat, "How long has it been since you've spoken to me over anything but texts or an occasional phone call? When was the last time you took some time off from work to spend time with me? You think you can throw money my way and that's all it takes to be a parent then you're the fool here, not me! You have no right coming here and telling me who I can and can't have a relationship with and you can't control me by threatening me with taking away your precious money! Keep it! Keep every damn dollar of it, I don't want your charity!"

She marched across the room and swung open the door, gesturing for him to leave. Mr. Ral looked shocked by her outburst, obviously he hadn't expected this, but he made his way slowly to the door, casting another furious glance at Auruo.

"And for your information," Petra said, her voice deadly serious, "That "guy's" name is Auruo, he's twenty seven years old…and mom would have given him a chance before passing judgement."

With that, she slammed the door behind him and locked it before she ran across the room and threw herself into Auruo's arms, tears spilling down her cheeks as she wailed loudly. Auruo just held onto her tightly, his eyes fixed firmly on the door as furious thoughts flooded his mind and Petra's tears created wet spots on his chest.

"A…Auruo…" Petra sniffled, "I…I'm so sorry!"

Auruo huffed and pushed her back at arm's length to look at her, his eyes flicking between hers.

"Petra, seriously I've heard it all before, don't worry about _me_ ," he told her firmly, "I'm worried about _you_."

Petra just stared at him, her mind swirling with confusion. She'd just thrown her own father out of her apartment, possibly her life…and for what? For Auruo. Had she been too impetuous? Was it the wrong decision? She just couldn't focus on anything right now, her nerves were on edge and her entire body was shaking from the tension of the confrontation. She needed to destress…immediately.

"Auruo," she gave him a serious look from under her eyelashes and put hand to his chest, pushing him back. He didn't resist and began moving backwards, towards the bedroom doorway. "Get back in bed. If people already assume we're fucking then why the hell should we not be?"

Her language and the look on her face must have been a shocking combination because Auruo was obeying easily, his eyes wide and the corners of his mouth pulled up into a rather pleased looking smile. He glanced behind him to avoid running into the doorframe and then looked back to her with a toothy grin, reaching out to grab her by the waist as she continued to push him towards the bed. When the back of his legs bumped against the edge, Petra pushed him hard with both palms so he fell backwards onto the covers.

"Geez, Petra," he let out a laugh as she climbed on top of him, "Take it easy, there's no reason to ru…"

His "rush" was cut off by Petra clamping her hand over his mouth.

"Auruo," she said, her tone was dead serious, "Less talk, more sex, please."

Auruo rolled his eyes at that and pushed himself up onto his elbows to give her a no nonsense stare.

"I gotta ask, you know…are you sure about this?"

How very like Auruo to halt the progress of her sexual advances to gain her consent…it just made Petra want him even more. She nodded without hesitation, her hand slid around the back of his neck as she pulled him closer until their lips were nearly touching, close enough that hers brushed against his as she spoke one simple word.

"Yes."

And that was all that was needed. Inhibitions went by the wayside, all thoughts of the argument with her father flew out the proverbial window; to Petra, nothing else mattered at this moment, there was only this incredible need deep inside her and Auruo was who she wanted, more than anyone, to fulfill it.

She closed the few centimeters between their lips, claiming his mouth in a firm and demanding kiss. She let go of the back of his neck and slid both hands up into the thick mop of ashy blond hair, holding it tightly between her fingers to the point Auruo actually whimpered into her mouth from the force of her grip and caused her to pull back from the kiss, her teeth closing gently on his bottom lip to pull it along a way before fully releasing it. She laughed a little and let go of his hair to push insistently against his chest, urging him to lay back down.

But her little hair pulling stunt seemed to have lit a fire in her partner because he gave her a feral smile and resisted her push. Instead, her gripped her upper arms and pulled her off to one side, successfully switching their positions to where he was hovering over her, looking down at her with a snarky, pleased expression.

"Don't start a fight you can't win, Petra dear," he teased, flicking the tip of her nose with his finger.

"Auruo, shut up and fuck me already," Petra glared at him, a challenge in her eyes…a challenge he gladly accepted.

It took a mere few seconds for Auruo to jump off the bed and peel his flannel sleep pants off and grab hers by the ankles to pull them off as well while she pulled her shirt over her head and tossed it off to the side with a growl of annoyance. She sat up and grabbed Auruo's hips, pulling him closer to the bed.

"You know," Auruo laughed slightly as he allowed her to pull him along, "This isn't exactly how I planned this to happen…"

"You like surprises, right?" Petra gave him a wink and scooted back on the bed with her very best 'come hither' look. It must have been pretty good because he came hither indeed, crawling onto her with no hint of shyness. He wasted no time in getting the party started, so to speak, and immediately stuck his first two fingers in his mouth to get them wet enough to easily slip them inside her.

Yeah, Petra mused, this was definitely what she needed right now. The feeling of his fingertips curling inside her, pushing into the ridges of her g-spot, was intoxicating and thrilling all at once and she found herself whimpering and wiggling into his hand as she demanded more from him…more than his hand could accomplish.

"Please," she begged in a breathy whisper, "Auruo, please, I don't need all this prep right now…I need you, inside me, right now!"

Auruo nodded with wide eyes, removing his hand and replacing it with the throbbing heat of his just as desperately needy cock, meeting her eyes for a moment before pushing inside her with no further deliberation.

Petra saw stars in her vision for a moment, the feeling of him filling her inch by inch to the point she thought she might just not be able to handle it, until he settled between her thighs and dropped his forehead to her chest to catch his breath.

"God…" he moaned into her skin.

"Nope, just Petra," she replied snarkily, she reached out and tilted his chin up to catch his mouth in another kiss, "Now…move."

And he did. And it was exactly what she needed. Auruo was a gentleman, no one knew this better than Petra Ral, but apparently all that good upbringing disappeared between the sheets. Petra moaned in amazement at the feeling of him filling her up with each forceful forward thrust of his hips, the sharp sting of his teeth clamping down none to gently on her shoulder, the way his fingertips dug into the skin of her hips as he used them as an anchor point and the incredible sounds of pleasure he was releasing into her ears.

Petra clutched onto his back out of need for something, anything to hold onto as she tossed her head back in pure ecstasy when he hit a particularly sensitive spot inside of her, a moan that was mixed with undeterminable words tore from her throat and it caused him to lift his head and look at her with a cocky grin.

"Mmmm, what was that?" he asked, his voice was gruff and lower than usual.

"Please don't stop!" Petra cried when his rhythm slowed drastically, he hooked her legs around his waist and pushed her hips up to meet his.

"Can I just catch my breath for a second?" Auruo laughed as he ran his hands appreciatively along the length of her clenched thighs.

"One second. Time's up!" Petra grinned wickedly.

True to his word, Auruo jumped right back in with just as much enthusiasm as before…only this time, his agenda was clear. After all…ladies come first.

He licked the pad of thumb, coating it generously with saliva and then slipped his hand between them, pressing his thumb very purposely onto her highly sensitive clit, which made her gasp and buck her hips hard.

"A…Auruo…" she nodded encouragingly, her eyes begging him to continue. So he did, combining the movements of his thumb with the rhythm of his hips, he created a heady combination of sensations that soon had Petra wiggling beneath him, her sounds becoming more and more loud by the second as she moaned and let out curses and cries…until her sounds all merged into one, single, long and loud groaning cry, her hips raising off the bed and her entire body going rigid as her orgasm tore through her.

She went limp a few seconds later and grinned somewhat drunkenly. Yep…definitely what she'd needed.

Auruo's lips on hers brought her back to the moment a few seconds later and she wrapped her arms around his neck and peppered every part of him she could reach with grateful and overwhelmed kisses, clingin to him for dear life as he continued to move above her, his rhythm faltering and his breathing changing to erratic panting as he got closer and closer to his release, which reminded Petra suddenly that a condom probably would have been the responsible choice here…she glanced around and grabbed her haphazardly discarded shirt and handed to him with a pointed look, which he accepted with a quick nod. Not a moment too soon, either, because a few short seconds later he backed up and pulled out of her with a loud groan through his gritted teeth and gripped himself tight, finishing himself off into the shirt. Petra couldn't look away…she was mesmerized by the view.

"Shit," she whispered, more to herself than anything, "That's…really hot."

Auruo obviously didn't hear her, deaf and blinded as he was by the intensity of his own orgasm, and plopped onto his back beside her, breathing hard and letting out small huffs of amazed laughter.

"Well, crazy woman, are you satisfied?" he asked with a grin as he propped himself onto one elbow to look over at her.

Petra nodded and threw up her fist above her.

"Yes! I am! And I feel like everything is going to be alright!" she informed him, shaking her fist at her ceiling tiles, "I'll move out and get a smaller place that I can afford and I won't ask my father for another penny. It's time I started living my own life."

"That's my girl," Auruo mumbled as he laid back down and skootched closer to her so their skin was touching along their arms and legs, "Watch out, world, here comes Petra Ral."

 **AOT AOT AOT AOT AOT AOT AOT AOT AOT AOT AOT AOT AOT AOT AOT AOT**

 **I'm sorry this is a little shorter than normal, but this seemed like such a good stopping point so I ended the chapter here!**

 **Not the end of the story though :D**

 **Reviews are my lifeblood so hit the little review button and drop me a line or two or fifty!**


	21. HEY GUYS

**Hey, everyone! I'm dropping in to say that I'm returning to this story and I'm going to continue it and finish it :D**

 **It's been a damn long time since I've been inspired to write for Attack on Titan, but after recently rewatching it I remembered by love for Petruo and so I came back and read this all over again and remembered how much fun it was to write!**

 **Check back soon, the next chapter is in the works!**

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	22. Chapter 22

**Tumblr is being a brat so I have a lot of time to write tonight since I can't RP at all...so here's the next chapter, as promised :)**

 **So sorry for the long absence!**

 **The song Petra is listening to on her walk is "Safe and Sound" - Landon Austin and Ellie Swisher, just incase you wanted to give it a listen (freaking beautiful)**

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The sunlight streaming through the window is what woke Petra the following morning, casting a warmth onto the exposed skin of her arm that was above the covers. Blinking slowly as her eyes adjusted to the light, she let out a long sigh as the memories of the previous day came flooding back to her and she felt her throat constrict when she thought of her father's face and how disappointed he'd looked...had she made the right choice?

The sound of the mattress creaking under the weight of her bedmate as he moved broke into her silent thoughts and a moment later she was overwhelmed by the heat of his skin pressed up to her from behind, his arm coming around to pull her closer by her midsection, nose burying in her hair. Petra remained still, knowing by the weakness in his movements that he wasn't actually awake yet, probably on the verge of coming to, and she listened to the steady sound of his breathing against her neck and felt the beating of his heart against her shoulderblade. Still, her thoughts remained on what she had done...thrown her own father out of her life, and for a man she honestly barely knew; it had only been about two months all together, only a few weeks of actually dating, so was she right to make such a choice?

"Petra," She jerked in surprise at the sound of Auruo's quiet, tender voice in her ears. He'd woken apparently, at which point she didn't know, and he must have sensed the tension in her body from their close contact. His thumb traced along her wrist before he slid his fingers between hers and gave her hand a firm squeeze. "Are you alright?"

"I don't know." It was a quiet, whispered reply, but it was honest: she didn't know how to feel yet. She couldn't gather her thoughts quite yet and she felt unbidden wetness forming in her eyes in response to the inner turmoil and she was horrified at herself when she suddenly let out with a loud, gasping sob as the dam broke.

Auruo's hold on her increased immediately, pulling her onto her back as he pushed up on one elbow to look down at her, eyes soft and sympathetic and searching her face. The soft and worried expression he sported only made Petra's emotions even more rocky and she reached up for him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and pulling at him in an attempt to bring him closer and, to her relief, he granted her wish and relaxed into her hold, allowing his weight to press down on her. Petra took comfort in the heavy warmth of him, feeling so sturdy when she felt so weak, and she clung to him like he was her lifeline...and maybe he was.

"Petra," Auruo's tone was soft and gentle as he finally lifted himself up onto his palms, gazing down at her with an expression she wasn't sure how to read, she hiccuped once and fell silent as she waited for him to continue, "I think we need to talk."

The words settled in her chest and turned to cold dread, spreading through her body until she found she was too numb to even move, her eyes were wide and the crying stopped immediately from her shock. Auruo must have realized how those words had sounded to her and he immediately sat up and pulled her to a sitting position as well and took her face between his hands, giving her a very serious look.

"Hey, hey, it's not what you're thinking!" he assured her quickly, his gaze flicked between both her eyes as if searching for confirmation that she understood him and he was getting through, "Sorry, I didn't mean it to sound so threatening, geez! I just mean we need to get up and around do some serious talking. You know...about..."

"About us?" Petra's voice was barely a whisper, her eyes still fearful underneather her messy bangs.

"Well, yeah, but that's just one of many things," Auruo admitted as he sat back and released his hold on her face and rolled over to the other side of the bed and got up to gather his previously discarded clothes. Easier said than done, considering they were literally thrown haphazardly in all directions, but he eventually managed to gather them all and soon he'd clad his lower half in his jeans once more, leaving Petra feeling a bit disappointed. But she could definitely appreciate his still bare upper half, her honey colored eyes greedily scanning the muscles of his arms as he leaned down and placed his palms on either side of her hips so he could nuzzle her nose with his and give her a cheeky smile. "Come on, get that beautiful ass of yours out of bed. I'll go make breakfast if you promise to eat something."

Oh...he was worried she would fall into a funk if she didn't get moving...and what was worse, she felt as if she did just want to stay in bed and hide from the world. If he wasn't here she wouldn't have even had the desire to raise her head from the pillow. Somehow, looking into his eyes now like this, she felt like maybe everything would be alright after all.

"I will, Auruo," she replied, trying to sound annoyed by his fussing and failing miserably.

"Of course you will," came the smug response, he pulled back just slightly so she could see the mischeivous grin on his face, "If you don't, no more sex for you."

"You do realize that means none for you either, right?" Petra cocked her head and raised a doubtful eyebrow at him, looking highly unimpressed by his threat.

Auruo just squinted in annoyance and sniffed before straightening up and grabbing his shirt off the bed where he'd laid it, yanking it over his head and giving her a look over his shoulder as he made his way towards the doorway.

"You're a brat."

"Thank you."

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Petra finally did roll out of bed, literally, and dragged herself to her closet to choose an outfit for the day, but all the colors and styles seemed to runtogether in her troubled and stressed mind and she blindly grabbed a shirt and a pair of jeans without any further consideration and headed for the bathroom to shower. Auruo, bless him, was exiting the bathroom with a toothbrush still in his mouth when he caught sight of her nakedly stumbling in his direction. His eyebrows raised in delight and he smiled around the object in his mouth before stepping aside and ushering her inside with a bow and a quickly pressed kiss to her bare shoulder as she passed. She slammed the door quickly behind her before she turned around and jumped him right then and there, letting out a long breath before smiling slightly and setting her clothes down so she could hop in the shower.

By the time she finished, washing away the sweat and stale sex smell from her skin, the events of the prior day seemed smaller of an issue and she felt hopeful as she stepped out onto the bathmat and began to towel off her hair. Her father would come around, surely...if he truly loved her, he would give Auruo a chance and maybe even grow to accept him. With this thought in her mind, she pulled on her underwear and the shirt she'd grabbed from the closet and realized she'd grabbed a nightshirt on accident...so she just tossed her jeans on the couch as she passed it on the way to the kitchen.

She was met with the delightful sight of Auruo pushing what smelled like bacon around on the skillet and trying to push Bastard and Idjit both away with his foot as they begged from some of what he was cooking. Bastard jumped up and placed his paws on Auruo's leg and Petra giggled lightly when she saw the claws come uut and dig in demandingly.

"Ah! Damn it, cat, watch your claws! Fuck!"

"Watch your language, Auruo," Petra laughed as she sat down at the table and rest her chin on her palm to watch him work, "Or at least swear in French or something so I don't have to hear your dirty mouth."

"Oh but, Petra dear, you love my dirty mouth," His lecherous smirk and the twinkle in his eyes as he turned his head to look at her made Petra's stomach flip. She realized, sadly, that she had yet to experience those legendary skills he always claimed to have...at least THAT one, anyway. Suddenly, she regretted rushing him so quickly the night before.

"I wouldn't know. Yet." she replied, boldly, meeting his eyes and not even breaking a blush.

To his credit, Auruo didn't press the issue and simply turned back to the bacon he was tending and scooped it out to lay on the plates beside him. A few moments later, Petra found a plate set down in front of her heaping with eggs and bacon and a sliced up orange. Her stomach nearly roared at the sight and smell of it all and she grabbed her fork immediately to dig in. Auruo sat next to her and watched her with an alarmed expression, one eyebrow cocking as he leaned back from her as she shoved eggs into her mouth like a starving person.

"Geez, Petra, take a breath," he scoffed, but it was more amused than it was condescending.

"Sorry, I didn't realize how hungry I was until now!" Petra apologized around her mouthful, making Auruo roll his eyes and make a disapproving sound in his throat. "Great sex makes me ravenous!"

"Great, huh?" There was no mistaking the obvious pride in his tone and Petra just nodded her affirmation before taking another bite of breakfast, leaving him with just that statement to run over and over in his mind like she KNEW he would be. One sideways glance confirmed it because he was staring at absolutely nothing on the table and chewing on the inside of his cheek, she knew that look. Finally, he appeared satisfied with whatever conclusion he'd come to and leaned back in his seat with his coffee mug in his hands, looking at ease as he tipped it to his lips.

"Could have been better though," Petra spoke up and watched with an amused smile as he choked and sputtered into his coffee; she waited patiently as he coughed and set the cup down rather loudly, causing a bit of the contents to spill onto the table.

"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked loudly, looking very displeased by her comment, "I was planning on it being better but someone had to rush it like a savage."

"Savage?! Excuse me, but you were just as happy to oblige!"

"Well, duh, of course I was! I've been waiting forever for..."

He snapped his mouth shut and blushed, looking away immediately and suddenly becoming very insterested in watching Idjit sniff around on the floor.

"Me too." Petra agreed, earning her a sheepish smile when he looked at her out of the corner of his eye, "And, guess what? You don't have to wait anymore."

He seemed to have just then realized her state of dress, or undress, and she watched as he scanned the length of her bare thigh with his intrigued hazel gaze. His tongue poked out slightly at the corner of his mouth and she wondered if he even noticed he was doing it; she giggled.

"Yeah..." he whispered, reverantly. But he shook his head hard and stood up with a huff, taking her empty plate to the sink and quickly washed it along with the pan before coming back to the table and pulling her chair out, nodding for her to stand up. Petra obeyed and followed his lead to the living room where he plopped down on the couch and pulled her along to sit next to him.

"What's on your mind, Auruo?" she asked, knowing the look he had on his face was serious and thoughtful.

"I just think we should discuss what you're planning on doing now," he replied quickly, "I mean...are you sure you're really alright, Petra? You...basically..."

"Kicked my own father out of my life for a man I've known for a few months?" Petra finished his thoughts flawlessly, her expression was dull and unhappy, "Trust me, I know."

Auruo shifted uncomfortably and stared down at edge of the coffee table to avoid making eye contact with her, he leaned forward with a sigh and rest his elbows on his knees as he slumped in shame.

"I would never have asked you to do that," he mumbled, bitterly.

"Lucky then you didn't have to."

"It's...stupid, Petra." Petra gasped in disbelief and sat back from him with an angry grunt, eyes flashing at his bluntness, he simply turned his head and gave her a no nonsense, sad puppy stare before continuing, "Family is important, and I don't want you to throw it away for me, I'm not worth that."

"You shut up!" Petra snapped, the full fury of her ginger hair and German background were coming to the surface as she stood up and towered over him as much as her short frame would allow. "I'm sick and tired of your bullshit, Auruo Bossard! For your information, my father has never spent half the amount of time and energy with me as you have in the two months we've known eachother and he has never cared about my relationships in the past, so he has no right to start trying to control me now. This isn't just about whether or not you're worth it, and you ARE, it's about me and if I'm willing to roll over to the whims of a father who has NEVER BEEN THERE FOR ME!"

A heavy silence fell between them following her outburst, Auruo looking up at her in complete shock as she stood with her fists clenched at her sides and her whole body shaking from the mental strain of her situation. She had just let it all out, every insecurity she'd kept inside for so long, all those daddy issue spilling over into her furious display, and she suddenly felt weakened by the effort and dropped to her knees to press her face into Auruo's thigh as she began to cry anew. She heard him swallow hard a moment before she felt his hand thread through her hair and she found her head tilted gently back and he looked at her for a long moment, like he was seeing her with new eyes, before he shifted and slid off the couch to the floor to kneel with her, pulling her into his chest without a single word being exchanged.

How long they sat like this, Petra wasn't sure, but she could have remained this way fro the entire day if that had been an option. She just relaxed into him, soaking up the warmth and taking in his scent and listening to the soft sound of his breathing as each exhale ruffled her hair slightly. Auruo was a safe place, she realized, so unlike the others before him and nothing at all like her father.

"Petra, I need to get ready for work," his words finally broke the surreal feel of the moment and Petra pulled back to look at him, "Promise me you'll take a little time to think things through today, alright? Maybe you should just go around town and start learning the area better or something...anything other than stay here and cry."

He was right, she knew he was, no matter how much she wanted to crawl back into bed while he was gone until work that evening, she wanted even more to overcome and move foreward because she had never been one to let circumstances keep her down. She allowed herself to be pulled to her feet as he stood and she looked up at him with shining, yet clear eyes.

"I promise," she agreed with a nod.

Auruo looked for a moment as if he wanted to say more, but he seemed to decide against it and offered a smile instead, bringing the tip of his finger to her nose, still holding her close by her waist, he poked her and held it there for a moment as he gave her a wink.

"That's my girl."

It was a title Petra was more than happy to claim.

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An hour later found the redheaded young woman walking down the sidewalk, with her hands resting comfortably inside the pocket of her hoodie as she breathed in the Autumn air. Earphones hung from her ears, connected to the phone in her pocket as she took in the sounds of acoustic guitar playing and gentle voices...the melancholy tune left her feeling both sad and hopeful as she imagined Auruo singing it to her as she was drifting off to sleep in his arms. She closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep inhale of the cool afternoon air, it was a beautiful day but even the brightness of the sun and the colors beginning to show on the leaves of the trees lining the street weren't enough to reach to the deeply aching part inside of her.

She took Auruo's advice to heart and she pondered her situation as she wandered past store windows and scanned their contents, the sounds and smells and sights of the city surrounded her, buzzing and filling her with life. In the grand scheme of things, yes, family was important and she had always treasured it while her mother was alive...but was family worth holding onto if they've never really been family at all? Surely family was more than blood?

Her wanderings eventually led her to a section of town she didn't recognize, but somehow felt was familiar for some reason, and she scanned the buildings and street signs in an effort to place why that was. Across the street she noticed a construction site, or rather, a bare slabe of cement with some support beams standing like grim memorials to the building whose skeleton they were intended to form, and she remembered suddenly that this was where Auruo had been working the day of Hanji and Moblit's barbecue. She crossed the street at the crosswalk and headed for the site, not really knowing why, and stepped up onto the massive foundation, scoffing in distaste when she saw it had already been tagged and painted on by the neighborhood artists and gangs. With a sigh, she saw down Indian legged on top of a rather impressively spray painted middle finger and licked through the songs on her playlist to go back to the slow one she'd had on earlier; it fit the mood and she thought maybe it would help her think.

She sat there thinking until her alarm went off on her watch, telling her it was time to head back to the apartment and get ready for work that night, so she stood up with a sigh and stretched the stiffness from her bones. She had decided a few things and she was eager to share her brainstorming session outcomes with Auruo after work so she set off towards home with a bit more bounce in her step.

Everything was going to be alright.

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 **Wow, so...my writing style has changed a whole lot and my paragraphs seem to be much larger now. But, I'm getting back into the swing of this story so I'm sure the dialogue will come back to me more after I get settled :)**

 **As always, reviews are awesome!**


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